A Third Chance
by TK Grimm
Summary: SasoSaku. Hiatus. When given a strange book from an old friend, Sakura unlocks the doors to her past lives. Both of them. On her third chance at life, maybe she can use the information to help her achieve what she could not before. Somewhat AU
1. An Odd Old Book

_**TK**_: Hey everyone! I'm back with a brand new story and a brand new plotline – hopefully the fans of my DeiSaku will forgive my bundle of SasoSaku lately, I've been on a Sasori streak. This is _not_ a one-shot! It's a chapter story **:D**

Also, furthering on my note – seems this one will be longer than most – I have to point out a couple things. Mostly, I do AUs, however this time, it won't exactly be _completely_ AU. It will actually go back and forth between past and present. I know that sounds confusing now, but it'll make sense by next chapter (hopefully). I'm going to try really hard to make it understandable and answer most questions.

**Full Summary**: The first time, she died, leaving him a cold-hearted, empty shell. The second time, she had lost her memories of what had passed; he died, and by her hand at that, leaving her to remember everything as the life left his body. Broken and empty, she took her own life. They say the third time's the charm with many things. Perhaps all they needed was a third chance. (Somewhat AU) (SasoSaku)

* * *

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**An Odd Old Book**

* * *

"Stay calm," Ino said, her voice quiet but tone serious. Sakura took a few calming breaths of air. "Good, now just lean against the wall, like this." She leaned back against the brick wall of the library, her arms propped up slightly and giving her a bit of a pose.

Sakura tried to mimic, adding her own touch by shifting her weight onto one hip and tilting her head slightly. "Like this?"

"Yeah, that's great!" the blonde woman whispered enthusiastically. "Now, look at me, and we'll pretend to have a conversation. When he comes by, stop talking, glance at him with a curious look like this, and then look away with a smile. Like you're shy, get it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Sakura nodded. She swallowed hard, hoping their plan would be a success. "Um… what do we talk about?"

"Anything, just go – talk!"

"Err…" A thought hit her. "You know, Ino… we used to be the best of friends."

"We _are_ the best of friends."

"No, I mean… well, yeah, we are **now**, but when we were little, we were, too. Then we both had a crush on Sasuke, and… Basically what I'm saying is I'm glad we've worked past all-"

"Here he comes!" Ino interrupted quickly. She looked at Sakura and started blabbing on about her score in their latest college exam, Sakura nodding her head every so often as she spoke.

Sasuke, tall, black hair, wealthy family, cool attitude, Uchiha slowly walked past, apparently having some sort of heated discussion with Naruto Uzumaki, the blonde idiot slash Sakura's friend. Sasuke had an annoyed look on his face. Ino and Sakura kept to the plan regardless and looked at him curiously. To their shock and dismay, Sasuke didn't even glance at them.

Sakura looked at Ino questioningly, wondering what they could have done wrong. Ino bit her bottom lip in frustration. "_Men_," she said irritably. "They're too wrapped up in themselves to notice two beautiful women trying to get their attention!"

Slightly nervously, Sakura asked, "Maybe that wasn't the way to get his attention, Ino?" She didn't want to make Ino even more mad than the blonde already was, especially since Sakura had worked so hard to get their friendship back that they had lost during the majority of their freshman year.

"Then what?" Ino nearly yelled. She covered her mouth with her hand upon realization of what she had done. Lowering her gaze, she said, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I just got mad and couldn't control my temper."

"It's okay," Sakura replied. "Let's just… do something else." They started walking along the outer wall of the library, headed to the front door. "You know… maybe it's just out of our control."

"What is?" Ino asked, curious. She had expected Sakura to change the subject.

"Sasuke," the pink haired woman said. "We've been chasing him around since junior high school, and he still treats us like we don't exist. Sure, he's really attractive, but it couldn't have been more than a simple crush? All these years and we still don't know him – we're not even on speaking terms."

Ino wrapped her left arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Hey, hey, none of that. That sounds like Sakura's I'm-giving-up tone – don't do that! We'll get him."

Sakura smiled, shaking her head once, "_One_ of us **might** get him in a blue moon, but in all honesty, I think by this point I'm okay if that blue moon never comes."

"No way!" Ino beamed. "I refuse to give up until I see a piggy fly!" Both college classmates then giggled their way into the library, only to get a stern look from the librarian, immediately shutting them up. "So, we looking for books for our assignment?" Ino asked in a partial whisper.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "I also want to get something to read over the weekend."

"Why read when you can _go out_?" Ino teased. "Come on, Sakura, we're nineteen – let's live a little before we become boring old hags!"

"Shhh!" the librarian scolded.

"Sorry, Chiyo!" Sakura said smiling. When Chiyo turned away, Ino gave her a rude hand gesture.

"She's only nice to you because you work for her grandson," Ino grumbled. "Anyway, enough about that, let's plan something for this weekend! Like you going out for once."

Sakura rolled her eyes – Ino always was the party animal. "Hey, I go out sometimes, I just have a busy weekend this time. I've got work, this assignment – I won't have time. I'm getting a book for some light reading before I go to bed."

"Light reading? Like a short story or something?"

"Maybe," Sakura said. "I'm pretty picky with books, though. If they don't have an interesting cover or title, I usually don't even look at it. Unfortunately."

"I hate reading," Ino sighed. "It gives me a headache. I only read if I have to."

Sakura chuckled, "You've always been like that."

Ino suddenly got an idea. "Hey, I know! We'll compromise, how about that? You can read your dumb little book tonight, and then _tomorrow_ you'll come with me and Hinata to Temari's club!"

The Chiyo glared at her, "SHHH!"

"Oh, shove off," Ino said, glaring right back. To Sakura's relief, the librarian had returned to working on the computer and had not heard her. Ino turned back to Sakura. "I don't mean to sound so pushy, it's just… we never do anything together anymore. Since college started, we only see each other in class."

Sakura felt a twinge of guilt. She had been so focused on getting her degree and becoming a doctor, she hadn't realized she had been neglecting her friends. "I'm sorry," she said honestly. "I really am." She sighed, "Okay, fine. Saturday night – I'll meet you at your house and we'll go to Elixur and hang with the girls, okay?"

"Promise?" Ino grinned, holding up her pinky finger.

Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. She locked her pinky with Ino's, "I promise. _Pinky swear_," she said in a teasing tone.

Ino grinned, "Right on. Okay, so, medical books first and then your short story thing?"

Sakura thought for a moment, "I'm going to get a novel quickly first. I'll meet you there – won't take long."

"'Kay," Ino replied, wandering off.

Sakura slowly walked towards the fiction section, her sea foam green eyes wandering through the shelves. "Picky, picky, picky," she sighed, looking for something not too large with an interesting title.

"Sakura?"

She slowly turned around, seeing the librarian looking at her with an inquisitive expression. Her hands were behind her back. "Yes?" she asked with a smile.

"Looking for a book?" Chiyo asked politely.

"Yeah, just some light reading for the weekend. Something to read before going to bed – reading tends to make me sleepy, after all."

Chiyo nodded in understanding. "If I may suggest…"

"Oh, please do," Sakura laughed. "I have such a hard time picking books, and I have to meet my friend in another section for some books to help with our homework."

The old woman revealed her hands – she was holding a very old, very large book. "I… I really have to recommend this."

Sakura looked at the book with a slight frown. It was hard cover, worn and slightly tattered – it would take her a very long time to read it. "I'm sorry, but um… could you suggest something a bit shorter? I really only needed some light reading. I don't have much time for reading during the weekdays, so I would have a hard time finishing it."

"Oh, don't worry," Chiyo assured with a bit of a laugh – it was as if she rarely used it and therefore was unused to laughing. "You won't be able to put this one down – I guarantee it."

Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Sakura took the book from Chiyo's grasp and examined the front. In gold letters, the maroon book read: A Third Chance. "What's it about?" she asked curiously.

"It's… a love story," Chiyo said evasively.

Sakura looked at her worriedly. "Does it have a happy ending I hope? I'm still not over Romeo and Juliet – that was just so _sad_…"

"Hmm… well… the ending is up to you, Sakura."

The younger woman tilted her head to the side. "Up to me? How?"

"You'll see."

Sakura thought for a moment and then nodded, "Oh, it's one of those 'eye of the beholder' things. Like, an opinion – some may think it has a sad ending, and others believe it has a happy ending, right?" Without waiting for a reply, she asked, "Are you sure you don't mind me checking this out? It looks very old."

"It is, but I don't mind," Chiyo told her, smiling. "I know you'll take good care of it."

"I will," Sakura replied, smiling back at her. "Thank you. I'm going to go find Ino now." Chiyo nodded and returned to her computer. Sakura gave the book another curious look. It was really heavy. She hoped she'd be able to finish this before its due date so she wouldn't disappoint Chiyo.

_Oh, right, Ino_, she remembered. Walking towards the reference section, she caught sight of her best friend and joined her. "Hey," Sakura greeted.

"Heya – whoa…" Ino's eyes widened at the sight of the old book. "_What_ is **that**?"

"Chiyo recommended it – said I'd really enjoy it," Sakura explained. "It's some sort of love story."

"If that's what you mean by light reading, I'd hate to see what you'd call heavy reading…" Ino said, still looking at the book. It made her brain hurt just by looking at it; she didn't _have_ to start reading it.

Sakura chuckled, "No, this is heavy reading. But she suggested it, and I didn't want to be rude, you know?" Ino nodded, half in understanding, half in sympathy. "So, find anything worthwhile?"

"Yeah, I think these will be fine for the assignment." The blonde handed Sakura a copy and took one for herself. It was full of medical terms and procedures. "I think it's just what the doctor ordered, really. Literally," she added grinning.

"Yeah, yeah; okay, let's go check out."

As they started walking back towards Chiyo's desk, Ino asked, "You're heading to work after this, right?"

"That's right," Sakura nodded. "I still have a half an hour before I have to be there, but it's no problem. I can get a head start on this book before my shift starts."

"Ask Sasori out for me again!"

Sakura immediately clamped her hand over Ino's mouth, "Shh! My God, that's his _grandmother_ over there, Ino! And no, I'm not going to ask my boss out for you!" Thoroughly embarrassed, Sakura glared at Ino silently while they checked out.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Ino scoffed as they walked out the front door.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura countered.

"You said it yourself – it's not happening. I figure, best to move on now while the getting's good, eh?" Ino then began laughing, her hands on her hips and looking as if she considered herself the world's latest genius.

Sakura smiled slightly, "I wish I had your confidence…"

"What?" Ino asked, having not heard her.

"Nothing!" Sakura giggled. "Heading to Vollenden?"

Ino nodded, "Yep – poor Hinata can't run the place without me, after all."

Sakura grinned, "Yeah, time for the Great Ino to save the day!"

"Right on! Later," she laughed, heading to her car.

Sakura sat down in the cushiony seat of her yellow '89 Mustang – sure it wasn't the most attractive, sporty model, but she was slowly moving up in the world at her own pace – and started the engine. After pulling out of the parking lot, she headed towards Akatsuki Studios, where she worked as Sasori's, or world famous artist Akasuna no Sasori's, receptionist.

"Morning!" she joked as she walked through the front door, carefully shutting it behind her. Glass door, several windows, white painted walls – it was a typical art studio with not-so-typical famous works, each with an exorbitant price tag.

Sasori was at the computer, actually playing Solitaire. He minimized the screen, looking at Sakura with a raised eyebrow. "Morning?" It was 11:45.

"Technically still morning, yes," Sakura teased. She gave a dramatic gasp, "Oh my _gosh_! My legendary boss is actually _not_ doing work for once? Holy Solitaire, Batman!"

Sasori rolled his eyes, standing up and brushing a few strands of his messy red hair out of his eyes. "Have a good day, I take it?"

"Yes, actually," Sakura nodded, still grinning. She walked towards the desk, her usual 'base of operations' as she sometimes called it. "I've got an assignment to do, but as always, Ino exaggerates and makes it seem a lot worse than it is. I'll be able to finish it in an hour and then it's the weekend! Oh, and Chiyo recommended this book to me – have you read it?" She struggled with balancing her things and holding the big book towards him.

He looked at the cover, opening it to the front page with a quizzical expression. "No, but… it's rather _old_, don't you think? Doesn't she have a newer copy she could have given you?"

"You know, I didn't even think to ask – she just handed this to me and said I'd enjoy it, so the thought never crossed my mind," Sakura replied. "It's really heavy, and it'll probably take me ages to read, but hey, it must be good. She really wanted me to read it."

Sasori closed the front cover and returned his gaze to her, a slight grin on his face. "Good luck with that."

"Gee _thanks_," Sakura giggled. "I'll be able to do it… eventually."

"Right. In the meantime, you can answer the phone when it rings while I-" a sudden, loud crash came from the second floor, "…go see what Deidara broke this time."

Sakura couldn't hold in her laughter. "Go easy on him! And don't work too hard, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," he replied, walking up the single set of stairs.

When Sakura heard the door open and close, she sat down at the desk, looking over the day's files. To her surprise, she didn't have any extra work that day, other than her normal duty of covering the phone and scheduling meetings if necessary. Leaving her with two options – work on her homework assignment while she waited for the phone to ring, or read Chiyo's weird old book while she waited for the phone to ring.

Procrastinating wasn't in her nature – Sakura was, admittedly, a goody-goody who did whatever her instructors asked, pulling off nothing but good grades. Ino's words rang through her mind at that moment.

"_What's the point of living if you don't break the rules every so often? Come on… it'll be fun_."

Granted, she was trying to get Sakura to skip class when she said that, but that was major rule-breaking to her. She had to take baby steps. First step being procrastinating. That thought in mind, Sakura hesitantly opened the large book to the first page. It was the title repeated. Then a blank page, then the first chapter began.


	2. Coincidence

_**TK**_: Here's chapter two! Thanks to everyone who reviewed – your words are much appreciated. I hope I was able to answer all of your questions efficiently. More questions are always welcome, and I will answer them as best I can.

In this chapter, there's the transitioning from the book (Sakura reading the book) and 'real life' or the 'modern world.' I have a line break as of right now but if it's too confusing, staring next chapter I can have _Book_ italicized before passages from the book and _Real Life_ or something before those parts. Or if this is fine, I'll keep it like this**.**

* * *

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Coincidence**

* * *

It had been raining earlier that day – that truth became painfully realized as soon as Sakura landed in the mushy earth. She grimaced as the 'squish' sound her once favorite shoes made, knowing it would take forever to get the mud and grime off. With the same facial expression, she looked at the stone manor behind her, the home of the Kazekage.

Several white sheets had been tied together to form a makeshift rope that the pink haired girl had climbed down just moments before. It hadn't been long enough to reach the bottom, so she was forced to jump down the rest of the way. A mistake she hoped she wouldn't ever have to repeat.

"Gross…" she frowned. Sakura looked around, wondering if anyone would see her. It was her first time sneaking out, after all – she didn't want to get caught. Naturally it didn't occur to her that her shoes would most likely give her away the next day.

Oh how furious her father would be if he found out that his daughter had snuck out of the chateau when she should have been in bed. Like that mattered. Why be an obedient little girl when she could go outside and have _fun_ for once? It sounded too interesting to not try.

* * *

"Hey, chick."

Deidara's voice brought Sakura out of her reading. She blinked a couple times and looked up at her. "Y-yeah?"

"What'cha reading?" he asked curiously, leaning on the white desk.

Sakura shrugged, "A love story I got from the library. The main character's name is Sakura," she added, giggling.

Deidara smirked and teased her, "Reading about yourself, huh?"

"_No_," she laughed. "It's just something Chiyo recommended – maybe because the girl has my name, so she thought I'd like it. It's cute so far – she snuck out of the estate one night for the first time to see what it was like outside – are you even listening?"

"Sorry, what?" he joked. "Just kidding, just kidding. It sounds boring, though."

"Most books are boring in the beginning," Sakura pointed out. "Chiyo said I would like it, so I'm going to be polite and read it. There hasn't been a phone call yet, so I might as well until I get something else to do that's work-related."

Deidara nodded, "Okay. I'm gonna get something to eat, you want me to bring you back something?"

"No thanks," Sakura said. "I ate on the way here."

"'k, be back in a bit."

"Okay."

* * *

Sakura put a few strands of her pink hair behind her ears and looked around, wondering where she should go first. It was late, so most of the shops would already be closed. No shopping, then. Maybe just a walk.

The Sand Village – just as the title may describe, it was mostly just a village in the middle of the desert, surrounded by a mountainous border. Most of the buildings looked the same, with a few exceptions here and there with the notably wealthier families. None of them compared to the Kazekage's home, of course. The leader of the village always got such special treatment.

Sakura scowled, not wanting to think about her father at the moment. This was her first night out of the manor – this was fun time. Not 'I-hate-being-the-honorable-daughter' time. This thought in mind, she walked down the main street. It surprised her how many people were up and about at this hour. It obviously wasn't a busy night, but more than she had expected at least.

"Are you lost?"

Sakura blinked, looking to her right. "No," she said all too quickly to the stranger.

He was an adult, male with short brown hair. He appeared to be in his late twenties, maybe even early thirties. "You sure about that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sakura said defiantly.

"You know, you look… sorta familiar…"

A new voice spoke up. "She's not lost, so you needn't concern yourself." Sakura looked to her left this time, and nearly sighed with relief when she saw Chiyo, one of the village's elders. She recognized her right away because the elders sometimes paid visit to the Kazekage. Clearly Chiyo knew who Sakura was, as well, but did not give her identity away.

"Whatever," the man said, turning around and walking away.

Sakura quickly ran to Chiyo. "Thank you, Chiyo-baa-sama!"

"Sakura, what are you doing out here?" Chiyo asked in a hushed voice. "A princess has no business-"

"-Leaving the mansion, I know," Sakura finished, a slight pout crossing the features of her face. "And I'm not a princess. It's just for one night, Chiyo-baa-sama, please? Don't tell my father?"

Chiyo sighed, "You're not going to go back and go to bed, are you?" Sakura shook her head. "All right, but you can't stay out in this street – someone might recognize you, and that will cause problems since you don't want to get caught."

"Where can I go?" Sakura asked, smiling.

"You know, when I was ten years old, I obeyed my parents," Chiyo lectured, taking Sakura towards her house. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little," Sakura nodded.

"Okay, lets get you something to eat then." After walking through the door, Sakura and Chiyo took their shoes off, the elderly woman eyeing Sakura's muddy footwear. "Sakura, how exactly did you get out? Isn't your room on the third floor?"

Sakura wasn't necessarily listening to her. Her green eyes were looking at the house, studying it curiously. It was very different from her room. There weren't lavish decorations and marvelous paintings and tapestries – it was plain, average, and maybe slightly empty. There were a couple photographs, but not much decoration.

It was odd that Chiyo hadn't done much with her home. She certainly had the money to do so, being the elder. Sakura remembered the day four years ago when Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had died in the war. Maybe she was just too sad to dress up her house. Maybe there was something Sakura could do about that.

"Sakura, dear, you really should listen to people, your elders especially," Chiyo said, using the same lecturing tone of voice.

"Sorry," Sakura said quickly, distracted from her previous thoughts. "What were you saying?"

"How did you get out?"

Sakura shrugged, "I made a rope by tying my blankets together and climbing down. It wasn't long enough though, and I had to just drop at the end. It messed up my favorite shoes," she added in a depressed tone.

"Then how do you plan to get back up?" Chiyo asked. "Will you be able to reach the sheet, or did you drop down too far?"

"Um… I didn't think about that," Sakura admitted reluctantly. "I don't know. I'll have to sneak in."

Chiyo sighed once again. "I'll help you get back to your room." She would have to attach chakra strings to Sakura so she could use the puppet technique and simply lift her to her room. Hopefully, the girl would be able to do something about her shoes.

"Thank you, Chiyo-baa-sama!" Sakura said delightedly.

* * *

"Sakura…?"

"H-huh?" Sakura looked up from the book again to see Sasori looking at her cautiously. "Y-yeah?"

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sakura nodded. "This book is just… well, coincidental is the best word I can think of to describe it. It's fairly interesting, but I'm still in the beginning."

Sasori raised an eyebrow, "Coincidental?"

"Yes, erm… well, the main character's name is Sakura." Sasori nodded, so she continued making several vibrant hand gestures to assist her story. "She's the village leader's daughter – she climbs down the wall of the mansion or whatever it is to see what it's like outside. She meets the village elder by chance, and… Sasori, the elder's name is Chiyo."

A curious look crossed the features of his face. "Could I see the book for a moment?"

"Sure, of course," Sakura nodded, putting a bookmark in the current page.

Sasori accepted the book from her and looked through the first few pages, reading a portion here and there. "It's very… coincidental." It appeared that was the only word he could think of to describe it as well. "The descriptions… the girl 'Sakura' has your same hair and eye color."

"And it's not exactly a common hair color," Sakura pointed out. "But… the book is so old."

"Have you thought about getting it tested?" Sasori asked, taking his amber eyes away from the current page and looking at her. "It might not be as old as it looks. Just worn."

Sakura spoke after a moment of pondering this. "You know, that's a good idea. My friend Tenten is really good with stuff like this, but I haven't spoken to her since high school. I wonder if she'd be willing… It's worth a shot – I'll give her a call later."

Sasori nodded, "In the meantime, you can keep reading. It looks interesting."

"It does," Sakura agreed. "You should check it out when I'm finished with it."

"I'll think about it."

"Oh, right," Sakura chucked. "You're even more busy than I am. Well, maybe someday."

* * *

Chiyo disappeared into what Sakura assumed was the house's kitchen, so she decided to take a walk. She had never been outside of the Kazekage's chateau, and being the curious girl she was, it was only natural she'd want to explore. She left the entryway and passed by the living room, heading down the hall.

The first door to her right was already partially open, so she gently pushed it further to make room for her to enter. It was someone's room. There was a small desk against the wall, a photograph of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law placed neatly upon it. A bed in the corner of the room, a few scrolls misplaced on the ground, and a single, closed-curtain window nearby.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura jumped, surprised. She turned around and immediately bowed her head in apology, recognizing who she saw right away. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to intrude." The boy didn't say anything. Sakura raised her chin slightly and chanced a look at him. He couldn't have been more than a year older than her, but his eyes showed a far greater maturity and age than her own – even Sakura could figure this much out. "Do you remember me?" she asked suddenly, standing up straight and tilting her head to the side.

"Princess."

Yes, it was definitely Sasori. Short and straight to the point, as always. Eleven years old and already the village prodigy. He was Chiyo's grandson, so Sakura had seen him on occasion. They had never spoken, though.

"Err… yeah," was Sakura's intelligent reply.

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened, and she placed the bookmark in the page again. Looking around, she spotted Sasori going through the file cabinet near the desk. "Sasori," she said, her voice slightly panicked.

He paused what he was doing and looked at her questioningly, "Is something wrong?"

"Um… I don't know… I think so? Maybe? Weird." She opened the book to the page and showed him the passage she had just read. Unlike Sakura's open-mouth gape at the _coincidence_, Sasori's facial expression remained as calm and angelic as ever.

"It's an… odd book, isn't it?" he asked quietly, as if it weren't even a question at all.

"It really is," Sakura nodded. "Do you think…?" her voice trailed off. "Well… has your grandmother ever had a taste for writing?"

Sasori handed the book back to her and thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. She reads a lot, but I've never seen her try to write anything. Do you want me to ask her about the book?"

Sakura wanted to say 'yes' at first, but decided against it. She shook her head once. "No, it's all right. Like we said before, it's probably just a coincidence. If not a coincidence, the most logical explanation would be that Chiyo and my mom had read the book before – since they're friends – and decided to name us after the characters?"

"Could be," Sasori said. He paused for a moment. "…I think I will check that book out when you're finished, after all."

Sakura smiled, "Okay."

* * *

"Sakura? Are you still here?"

Sakura's gaze switched from the boy in front of her to the direction of Chiyo's voice, down the hallway. She quickly replied, "Yes, I'm down here!"

Chiyo soon came into view, walking down the hallway with a tray of snacks in her hands. "Oh, I see you've met my grandson. Sasori, this is the Kazekage's-"

"I know who she is," Sasori said. He walked past Sakura, into his room, and shut the door behind him. Sakura looked at the door with a saddened expression.

Chiyo frowned and beckoned Sakura to follow her. "Forgive him, Sakura," she said. They sat down on the sofa in the living room. "Since his parents passed away, he's been… very quiet and reserved."

"It's all right," Sakura said, accepting a cookie that Chiyo handed to her. She took a bite, thinking about the old woman and the silent, red-haired grandson of hers. After swallowing, she said, "I'm not very close to my father. Mom died when I was born… But I think, if Daddy died, I would still feel bad, too. Very alone."

There was a knock at the front door. "I'll be right back," Chiyo said, standing up and walking to it. She opened the door, revealing one of the village women, most likely there for chit-chat or advice. Sakura took this opportunity to sneak away once again. She seemed to be making a habit of that.

Heading to the hallway again, she couldn't shake her childlike curiosity. She knocked on Sasori's door once. When her knock was ignored, she simply opened the door anyway. There he was, sitting at his desk with a book in his hand. He looked at her, an irritated expression written on his face.

Sakura managed a weak smile in his direction, "Um… hi."

The boy's cold, amber eyes returned to his book. "Go away."

She was taken aback by the harshness of his voice, but remembering Chiyo's earlier words, Sakura wasn't angry with him at all. Besides, she found him very interesting. She walked into his room and closed the door behind her carefully. Time to play. "Well, _**I'm**_ daughter of the Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato, and therefore, you cannot tell me where I can and …err, cannot go. So there."

Sasori looked up from his book once more, this time giving her an odd look. He hadn't expected that. What a freak of a girl. He held up his hand, moving his fingers slightly. Before Sakura could ask what he was doing, she heard the door open behind her and suddenly felt herself being pushed out of it by an invisible force. She went to charge back in, but the door closed in her face.

Sasori smirked slightly when he heard the satisfying 'ow' from the girl. He released his grip on the door with the chakra strings and resumed reading.

Much to his further annoyance, the girl opened the door again, this time, holding it open with both her hands, in case he were to try to close it again. "Persistent," he muttered, irritated.

Sakura scoffed, sticking her nose in the air. "You shouldn't be so rude, you know."

He looked at her, as if studying her. "_You_ were the one who barged in," he pointed out.

The pink haired girl ignored this obvious fact. "I just want to talk," she said, grinning like an idiot again.

"I don't."

Sakura put her hands on her hips. She seriously was not used to people telling her 'no.' "Well, I do."

"Too bad."

"Why don't you want to talk to me?" Sakura demanded, feeling quite offended. Most of the servant boys who worked at the Kazekage's manor would go so far as to _grovel_ for a moment of her time.

Sasori scowled and looked at his book once more. "There's nothing to talk about," he said in a tone that stated it was final and there was no room for questioning.

"Sure there is," Sakura insisted, sitting down comfortably on the floor nearby. "Hey, you're a ninja, right? Can you show me some cool tricks?"

Silence.

"Come on… I've always wanted to be a ninja. I bet I'd be really good at it, too."

Still no reply.

Sakura sighed in defeat. This boy was really good at ignoring her. She frowned, again remembering what Chiyo said before. When Sakura spoke, her voice was much softer. "You know… my mother died when I was born. I never got to see her face or even hear her voice. My father is… very strict. He tries to find the easiest excuse to get angry with me and punish me. One of the servants at home once said that father despises me for taking mother away from him."

She paused for a moment, swallowing hard. "I… I didn't think it was my fault. But a lot of the doctor ninja who come by sometimes, I asked them about moms, and they said that having babies is really hard. They said sometimes, it hurts moms so bad, they can't do it, and they die trying. …I made mother die, and father hates me because of that. Sometimes, it's like… like I don't have a father, either."

Sakura stood up and looked at him, surprised to see he was watching her. "I know how you feel."

Before she could say anything else, Chiyo opened the door. "Oh, there you are. Sakura, it's getting very late. Do you still want me to help you get home so the Kazekage doesn't find out you snuck out tonight?"

Sakura smiled as brightly as before, "Yes, please!" She followed Chiyo out the door, waving to Sasori once before closing it behind her. Sasori sat there, still staring at the door. What a weird girl.

Once at the chateau, Chiyo and Sakura silently walked towards the wall. The sheet-made 'rope' was still hanging from the open window. The old woman looked at Sakura. "Are you ready?" Sakura nodded, feeling excitement rise within her. Chiyo held out her hands, attaching chakra strings to Sakura's body. "Here you go!"

Sakura held back a scream of surprise as her body was lifted into the air. She slipped through her bedroom window silently. Feeling the strings release themselves, she leaned over the edge and waved to Chiyo. The elder waved back before heading towards her home.

Sakura smiled to herself as she pulled her makeshift rope back up. What a fun night that had been. She would have to make sure to escape again sometime.


	3. Another Chapter, Another Resemblance

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Another Chapter, Another Resemblance**

* * *

Sakura closed the book once more, this time, not because of an interruption. It was the end of the first chapter in the book, so it seemed a good place to stop for now. She was still absorbing all of the information. It was a coincidence… it had to be. But there were just so many… similarities.

"Sasori?" she asked suddenly, looking at him. He was going through the contents of a file he pulled from the cabinet.

"Yes?"

Sakura paused, wondering how to ask the next question without sounding weird. "Erm… when we first met, you know, back in high school…" He nodded. "What was your first impression of me…?"

Sasori looked at her curiously, wondering what had brought that up. "Hmm… Something along the lines of what a, don't take this the wrong way, weird girl you were." She didn't look offended at all. She looked slightly freaked out. Sasori caught her glance at the book once and sighed. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sakura. It's a book. An old one, too. It's all just a coincidence. Don't let it get to you like this, okay?"

She managed a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's just so… weird, you know? How similar some of these things are."

He gave her an all-knowing smile, "Relax. It's just a book, not some ancient prophecy or something like that. Take it easy – you're always telling me not to work hard, so take your own advice, alright?"

"Thanks, Sasori," Sakura said, smiling.

"Sure."

"I think I'm gonna get started on that homework assignment instead. It'll probably be best to take a break from that book." Her boss nodded in agreement. He resumed what he was doing, and Sakura took out the other book she had brought with her – the one for her homework – along with a thick packet and a pen.

_Electrocardiography_, she thought. _Hmm… I bet Ino's going to have a hard time with this assignment_. She looked at the first question, a definition and explanation of the term an procedure, and began to write.

_Electrocardiography is frequently used in the diagnosis of heart disease. It is a painless and safe procedure in which cables with electrodes are attached to the patient. The machine, called an electrocardiograph, magnifies many times the natural electric currents generated by the action of the heart, which is then traced on heat-sensitive graph paper with a stylus._

She opened her text book up to the correct page and double checked her answer. Unsatisfied, she added to it, putting the book's information into her own words.

_The tracing, an electrocardiogram, is a representation of the heart's rhythm and other heart muscle actions. The electrocardiogram is then placed in a folder for the physician to examine as a permanent record._

She reread her answer to make sure there were no mistakes and the nodded once to herself, pleased with what she had written. She always put so much more work into what she did; it was so different from Ino. As a side thought, Sakura was also different in this aspect from the character Sakura in the book. The young girl had an acquired taste for breaking the rules and doing things her way – Sakura couldn't imagine herself like that.

This thought opened the doorway to other thoughts, each one leading to the book. She unwillingly glanced at it out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, Sakura returned her gaze to her homework. She didn't have time to be reading Chiyo's silly old book. She had to get this assignment done so she wouldn't have to worry about it later.

By the time she was finished, it was almost time for her to clock out. There had only been two phone calls, for which, Sakura was relieved. She set up the meetings for next week, organized the file that she made for them, and proudly finished her assignment.

It was 4:00 by then, so she quickly gathered her things together. Once packed, she walked to the stairs and said, "Dei, Sasori, I'm heading out for the day. Don't work too hard, you two!"

Hearing their slightly muffled replies, Sakura smiled and left the building. She got into her car and started heading home, wondering what her friends were up to. That was when she remembered she needed to get ahold of Tenten. Perhaps the brunette could assist her with getting a proper date on the weird book.

Sakura parked her car in the driveway of her flat and then walked inside. Her home was as clean as ever – quite obviously belonging to a woman. Sitting on the couch, she took her cell phone from her purse and browsed the contacts. "I wonder if Tenten still has her old cell phone or if she got a new one…"

Taking a chance, she hit the call button and waited. To her surprise and delight, she recognized Tenten's voice immediately.

"_Hello?_"

"Tenten, hi! It's me, Sakura Haruno, from high school. Do you remember me?"

"_Yeah, I remember. It's …been a while_," Tenten replied on her end. She sounded a bit awkward.

"Yeah. How've you been?"

There was a pause and then a sigh. "_Sakura, look… high school was high school. We were friends and all, but… all that's over now. I'm living my life, my busy life._"

Ah. No small talk, then. "I see. I'll get to the point, then," Sakura said rather dejectedly. "I've got this book, and I was wondering if you could date it for me."

"_What like right now?_"

"Well, no… I mean… when you have a moment, hopefully soon," she continued evasively. "It would really mean a lot to me if you could do this, Tenten. Look, I know the gang sort of split after high school… well, you went on with your life, and all that, but I really need your help. It shouldn't take too long, right?"

There was another pause. "_…Fine. Come by tomorrow morning at ten – we'll use the building's equipment._"

Sakura beamed, "Thank you so much, 'Ten!"

"_Yeah, yeah, just… don't make a habit out of this. I'm trying to move on from high school. I'm an adult now, Sakura_."

"All right, I understand. I'll see you tomorrow."

"_All right_…" Tenten replied wearily.

The call ended. Sakura frowned slightly. Tenten was part of their group of friends and had been for a long time. She didn't understand why she wanted out so badly. But at least she was willing to do this for her.

If clever old Chiyo really had somehow compiled all this together as some weird scheme for Sakura or something, Sakura would know when Tenten told her how old the book was. If it was too old to be that, she would trust Sasori's judgment that it was a coincidence.

Sakura sat there for a moment, wondering what to do. She didn't realize she would be done with her previous commitments this early. She could have told Ino she would do something with her that night, instead, but hadn't realized it.

Then she thought about the book again. That strange, old-looking book that shared too many similarities to herself and the people around her to be comfortable. After thinking about it, she remembered that it was in fact just a book. It wouldn't do any harm to read some more of it, right?

* * *

A few days later, Elder Chiyo came to visit the Kazekage's manor, as she usually did every so often. Sakura was delighted to hear this, hoping she could sneak out of the place again with the help of the old woman. To add to her excitement, Chiyo had brought Sasori along. Though he appeared to be thoroughly annoyed with the situation, he kept to himself and simply played the part of staying invisible.

So there she was, following her father around while he talked with Chiyo about business and matters she didn't care to listen to. When he asked Sakura why she decided to accompany him that day, she said she wanted to 'learn more about what daddy does.' It sufficed for now at least.

With Chiyo and the Kazekage distracted and speaking about something a ways away, Sakura took her opportunity to speak to Sasori again. He was leaning against a wall, supposedly having a glaring contest with the floor. "Hi, Sasori-kun," she said, smiling at him shyly.

Sasori's eye twitched. What did she just call him? He looked at her, keeping his facial expression cold. "What do you want."

Sakura frowned, but didn't lose her resolve. She instead stood next to him, leaning against the wall like he was, her shoulder touching his. If that wasn't enough, Sakura put on her best poker face. Sasori stared at her as if she were some sort of odd space alien he was unsure of how to react to.

After a while, Sakura blinked, expression lightening. "Wow, so that's what it feels like. No wonder you do this all the time – I feel better and smarter than everyone else, haha!"

Sasori looked at her incredulously. Had she seriously just been trying to imitate him? He folded his arms and looked back to where Chiyo was speaking with the third Kazekage. "You couldn't lock your emotions if you wanted to," he said.

"I could, too!" Sakura retorted.

He glanced at her with a bored expression, "_That_ just proved me right."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but realized she would only assist his claim. Instead, she straightened her face and tried the brooding expression again. "Like this, then."

Sasori raised an eyebrow, watching her still. "No. More like… this." He returned his gaze straight ahead, his facial expression completely emotionless. He wasn't irritated, happy or anything – his face was blank.

Sakura smiled, "Okay, I can do that! Watch, watch." She tried to mimic the same, emotionless look but ended up looking as if she was glaring at nothing, her eyes narrowed. The girl jumped when she heard a strange sound that she didn't think she'd ever hear. She looked to her right and saw Sasori covering his mouth with the back of his hand. He was… laughing. It was soft, like he was trying not to, but he was laughing nonetheless.

The pink haired girl couldn't decide between being mad that he was laughing at her or overwhelmed that he was laughing in the first place. He stopped laughing and looked at her, seeing her smiling at him like an idiot. "You're… odd."

It wasn't necessarily an insult. It was just the best way he could think of at the time to describe her. Odd. Sakura decided not to take offense that time. "Odd is better than 'annoying-get-out-of-my-room' at least," she said, relaxing.

Sasori was quiet after that, displeased that Sakura had knocked down one of his mental walls he had built up over the years. He thought for a moment, reflecting on what Sakura had said to him before leaving. His amber gaze slowly shifted towards the Kazekage. There he stood, standing tall, proud, egotistical and arrogant.

He had been short with Sakura before, even though lacking reason to be. He obviously never found out Sakura had snuck out of the palace a few days before. Perhaps Sakura's claim was true, and his half-civility towards her was only because he had been in the presence of one of Suna's elders.

"He really likes to boast, doesn't he?" Sakura asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "I think it just makes him feel better about himself or something. It can be really annoying, though. Everyone always says he's the best Kazekage the village has ever had." She looked away from her father and at Sasori. "That can't be right, can it? I mean, there have only been two others before him, so how would they know if he was any good – there can't have been much to compare him to, you know?"

Sasori was quiet for a while, having returned his gaze to the Kazekage. "I suppose so."

She chuckled lightly, "Of course, I can't let him find out I say stuff like that when he's not listening. I'd get in a lot of trouble, and I'm on his bad side already, so that wouldn't be good. Hey, you want to know a secret?"

He looked at her but didn't say anything.

"When I was younger, my dream was to be a ninja," Sakura confided, smiling at him. "I used to want to be a doctor – you know, a medical ninja. The kind that can help people, but still tough." She paused for a moment, "I'm not allowed outside the manor, though, so I couldn't join the ninja academy. You're Chuunin, right?"

"Where did you hear that?" he wondered out loud.

"Chiyo-baa-sama told me when I asked her about you," Sakura replied. "I wish I could have been a ninja. That would be so cool! Much better than being _his _heir, cooped up in this place all the time."

Sasori looked at her skeptically, "You'd rather be on missions risking your life than safe here where people wait on you hand and foot?"

"Yes, actually," Sakura replied curtly. "I think I would have made a great ninja." She topped it all off by flipping her long pink hair back behind her shoulder, complete with a bright smile.

Sasori closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "Right," he said skeptically, a slight smile on his face.

"Sasori," Chiyo said, walking back towards the two with the Kazekage beside her. "It's time to go." Silently, they made their way to the exit.

"Bye!" Sakura called, waving. Chiyo smiled at her and nodded, whilst Sasori acknowledged her with a glance before continuing forward. Sakura watched them leave and then started walking towards the hallway.

"Where are you going?" the Sandaime asked.

Sakura kept her eyes on the floor, "To my room to remain silent and pretend that I don't exist."

"Very good."

* * *

Sakura closed the book for a moment, glancing at her clock. It was six in the afternoon – she was so engrossed in reading, she had forgotten to eat something for dinner. Her mind was distracted even as she stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking through her fridge. She settled on a quick TV dinner that she could microwave. Not exactly the most nutritious thing she could have, but it would have to do.

As the timer on the microwave began counting down, Sakura remained silently standing in her kitchen, thinking about it the whole time. The similarities were so close. She remembered how things had been when she first met Sasori. She was a freshman in high school when it happened. She and Hinata were lost, and therefore running as they tried to find their classes.

Lo and behold, Sakura turned a corner too sharply and had run right into Deidara, knocking both of them down. She smiled slightly, remembering the event. Both Deidara and Sasori had found her and her attitude amusing. They were pretty good friends back then. That same year, Deidara and Sasori graduated and started Akatsuki Studios, both of them pretty well known artists already.

She chuckled, "What a small world. To think I'd end up working for the two of them." She heard a soft 'mew' from the ground and looked down, smiling when she saw her black cat, Yuki. As she scratched her gently behind the ears, she said, "It's amazing they can keep the business together, isn't it? What with all their arguments about art."

The microwave dinged, signaling her not-so-healthy meal was done. Sakura stood up and took it out of the microwave, picking at it with her fork. _Sasori_… She had never realized it, but Sakura had never asked Sasori about his parents. She just assumed they were dead and thought it rude to mention, since Chiyo was the only one of his relatives she had ever met.

In the book, his parents died in the war a few years prior to the story. Could something similar have happened in real life? Sakura shook her head once. _No_. It was just a book; everything was a coincidence, and nothing more. Besides, her parents were different. In the book, Sakura's mother died giving birth to her and her father lived.

Things were different in real life. Sakura lived with her mother during her years as a minor before she rented this place. Her father had left her mother a long time ago, and that was that. She never met him, nor did she care to, but that didn't bother her. She got along great with her mother, even now.

But for some reason, she wasn't as hungry as she thought, and only ate about half of her meal. Sakura sighed as she threw the rest of it away. She picked up the book again off the end table near the couch and walked down the hallway to her room. Yuki decided to follow, so Sakura waited for her to enter.

After closing the door, she laid down on her bed and turned her lamp on, readying herself to read another chapter of the odd old book. She glanced at the passage she had just read and raised an eyebrow, almost irritably. "Does Sasori think I'm _**odd**_?"


	4. An Unlikely Bond

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**An Unlikely Bond**

* * *

Sakura quickly closed her door and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She swallowed hard, hoping her father wouldn't follow her. Oh, how angry he was this time, and for the stupidest of reasons. Regardless, she certainly wasn't about to spend the rest of the night in the chateau.

When she heard someone knock on the door, she jumped. Sakura was able to relax when she recognized the following voice as one of the servants. "Sakura-hime, please just try to remember that it is dishonorable for the Kazekage's daughter to speak unless previously addressed, especially to **him**. I know it's not your-"

"I'm going to bed," Sakura announced, loud enough for the woman to hear her through the door. "Good night." She heard the sound of rustling fabric, and then footsteps slowly faded away. Satisfied, Sakura walked to her window and opened it, looking down. She nearly got caught the last time. If she wanted to see her twelfth birthday, she had better not take too many risks.

As she pulled off her sheets and began tying them into a rope, a small smile crossed her lips. It had been a little over a year since the first night she had snuck out of the manor. Ever since then, she had made two to three trips a week, depending on the situation. Sometimes, she was watched too closely and couldn't risk it. Tonight, however, she didn't care. Sakura just wanted out.

She tied one end of the 'rope' to her bed, making sure it was tight and secure. Then she threw the rest of it out the window. Carefully, Sakura climbed out the window and down the tied blankets, using the cracks in the manor walls to assist when needed. Luckily for her, it hadn't rained for quite some time, so the ground was dry and she could land without much trouble.

Sakura had eventually caught on to the difficulty of 'window-jumping' and took to wearing other clothing that was slightly more suited for it. Soft Capri pants, a t-shirt, pulling her pink hair back into a long ponytail – it all paid off because she was less scared of getting dirty or her hair messing up.

With a grin on her face, she walked down the main street of Suna towards the Elder's house. Sakura had left early that evening; perhaps Chiyo would take her shopping? She knocked on the door once, but didn't hear an answer. After a few seconds of contemplation, Sakura decided to enter the house anyway, since it was unlocked. Maybe Chiyo just hadn't heard her.

She closed the door behind her and took off her shoes, slipping on the guest slippers before stepping into the actual house. Sakura noticed Sasori right away – he was sitting on the floor in the living room with several papers in disarray around him. Chiyo didn't seem to be near.

"Hey," Sakura said cheerfully, walking into the living room. Sasori glanced at her and then returned to reading one of the sheets of paper. They were over the 'Sasori-ignores-Sakura-hoping-she'll-go-away' stage and had moved on to the 'Sasori-acknowledges-Sakura-with-a-glance-and-_**then**_-ignores-her' stage.

"Not today, Sakura."

Sakura blinked, tilting her head to the side. It surprised her – him using her normal name and even giving up on ignoring her and speaking so soon. It usually took him an hour to accept that she wouldn't leave him alone.

Then her mind registered his tone. Spending so much time with Sasori had somehow passed on a few maturity points to Sakura; she had grown up faster than most during the last year. "What do you mean not today?" she asked softly.

Sasori kept his gaze on the piece of paper. "Today isn't a good day." He was as vague as ever, of course. How typical.

Sakura tilted her head to the side, frowning as she tried to figure out what was going on. "I know it's not because you don't like me. Chiyo-baa-sama said you wouldn't have even given me the time of day if that was the case. What's going on? Are you mad at me?"

He was quiet for a while, and he stopped reading. With a sigh, he gathered the papers and stood up. "Today just isn't a good day." With that, Sasori turned around and walked towards the hallway. "I want to be alone."

Sakura quickly stood up and began to follow him. "Okay, I'll come, too." She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was scowling. Perhaps she should have turned around right then and there, and let him be alone. But he hadn't forced her to leave yet, so maybe in reality, Sakura wondered, he didn't really want to be alone at all. Maybe it was just a front he put on.

Sakura smiled when he didn't close the door in her face this time. She decided to be nice and shut it for him. When he sat down at his desk and continued reading, Sakura sat down on his bed, looking around his room. "You left your door open for me this time."

"I knew you were too stubborn to leave me alone."

She grinned at him, "Then why bother telling me that in the first place?"

Still reading, his monotonous reply shortly came. "Good question."

Silence soon followed, but not for too long. Sakura's magic helped her always find ways to think of a conversation. "What are you reading?" she asked pleasantly.

"Herbal notes."

Sakura blinked, "Looking up methods for healing?"

This time, he did make eye-contact and looked at her. "I'm creating a poison."

"Ah," Sakura said. "You know, if I were a medic ninja, I bet I could cure it."

"I'd like to see you try," Sasori replied, raising an eyebrow. "I've had the idea for quite a while already – it will bypass all possible antidotes."

"Sure, but not Super Special Antidote Made By Amazing Me!"

Sasori scoffed, returning his gaze to the current packet of papers he was studying. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I acknowledge _you_ as 'amazing.'"

Sakura chuckled, not believing that he meant a word of it. "Right. You know, you don't always have to be such a sour puss."

"A _what_?"

"Just kidding!" Sakura assured, putting her hands up defensively. "Hey, you wanna go out tonight instead of sit there and read?"

"No."

"Aw… why not?"

He sighed again, setting the packet down. Apparently, Sasori finally realized he wouldn't get much reading done while Sakura was around. "Because. Shouldn't you be getting home by now?"

"But I just left," Sakura said, a slight pout forming on her face. "They all think I went to bed, anyway, so I can stay as late as I want. Hey, it's almost like a sleepover! Hehe, I don't think my dad would ever let me sleepover, especially at a _**boy's**_ house."

Sasori rolled his eyes and faced away from her, towards the window. "You're such a headache."

Sakura frowned. "Hey, how come every time we see each other, you think of a different insult?" When he didn't answer, she decided to ignore this. Pausing for a while, she thought of a new conversation. "Hey, Sasori?"

He sighed. "What _now_?"

"You're a lot more tolerant of me today," Sakura said, looking towards the floor. "You don't even bother with a bunch of sarcastic comments like usual. I know something's different about today, and you don't want to talk about it. But you know, talking helps. We're friends, right?"

Another pause. "No."

Sakura's lips parted in shock. "W…what?"

He tilted his head slightly, meeting her heartbroken gaze. "I don't want or have need of friends. People annoy me."

She bit her lower lip and forced herself to look away. Sakura didn't have any friends besides him, either, but she certainly _wanted_ them. "Do you… really mean that?"

When he didn't reply right away, Sakura shut her eyes in an attempt to block tears from falling. It resulted in one of them falling to her cheek. Her mind vaguely registered the sounds of rustling fabric, but her eyes didn't open until she felt contact there.

Sasori's index finger brushed her cheek softly, staying poised in front of her face to show he saw the single teardrop which had dripped down and landed on his fingertip. Without waiting for an explanation, he took her by the wrist carefully and walked out the door of his room, taking her with him. "Let's go out tonight. I'm not in a reading mood anymore."

* * *

Sakura checked the time on her clock. It was seven thirty. "I should take a shower before bed," she sighed, standing up. Yuki meowed with annoyance when she did this, because the weight on that side of the bed made her side move down.

Ignoring her spoiled cat, Sakura walked into the bathroom connected with her room and looked in the mirror. Her eyes widened, her hand slowly covering her mouth. She was blushing. She hadn't even felt her face heat up until she realized that truth. She had been blushing whilst reading that last scene in the book.

Quickly shaking her head to rid her mind of these thoughts, Sakura then removed her clothing and stepped in the shower, thinking of anything but the book _and_ Sasori.

Once out of the shower, she ended up drying her hair with a towel rather than hairdryer. To her concern, Sakura was eager to read more in the book and didn't want to take the time to dry her hair properly.

She put on some pajamas, laid back down on the bed, and picked up the book once again.

* * *

To his surprise, she smiled at him, very happily. With her free hand, she rubbed her eye and dried her cheek. Another thought came to Sakura as they walked out the front door, however. "What if someone recognizes me?" She didn't have Chiyo with her to make up an excuse this time.

"They won't do anything to question me," Sasori said simply. His amber eyes drifted from one end of the busy main street to the next before he settled on looking at Sakura. "Where do you want to go?"

Sakura giggled with delight, "What a gentleman! You remembered it's the _girl's_ choice on where to go! I'm so proud of you."

"No, I just knew I wouldn't have any say in the choice," Sasori scoffed, choosing to glare at the buildings along the way as Sakura pulled him along through the street.

"_Right_," Sakura said, grinning at him. "I like my idea better." With that, she happily let go of him – to his relief – only to link arms with him instead. "This will be so much fun, Sasori! Almost like a _**date**_, you know?"

Sasori opened his mouth to speak but simply couldn't find the words to say. He just stared at her, incredulous and unbelieving. "You are such a weirdo," he stated in sheer disbelief. At this, Sakura burst out laughing. Sasori put his free hand to his forehead, closing his eyes in hopes of blocking her out. "_What_ is it **now**?"

"I've just never," she managed between bouts of laughter, "heard you say such a childish, ahahaha, term like, like _weirdo_! It's so not you! You're always so 'high and mighty' with your insults, hehehe." Sakura grinned at him again. "Maybe I'm rubbing off on you."

Sasori started walking again, knowing she was following. "For my sake, I hope that's not the case."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Sakura chuckled. One of the shops caught her eye and she pointed at it. "Let's go there first, okay?" she asked giddily.

He looked at it and then at her with a raised eyebrow. It was a flower store. "_Why_?"

Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "_Because_," she said in the same tone he had used. Before he could state that 'because' wasn't a reason, she dragged him to the small shop. "Hmm. Flowers." She glanced at Sasori. He wasn't paying attention. She nudged him with her elbow. "_Flowers_."

"I can see that," he said irritably.

"Yes, and you know what _flowers_ are for?"

"Nothing?"

Sakura glared at him. "Duh! You're supposed to get one, give it to me and say something like 'it's pretty, but not as beautiful as you' or some corny line like that!"

Sasori looked at the flowers with a bored, slightly blank expression. "You've obviously had a lot of time to plan that out." He ignored Sakura's nod and instead led her away from the store. "There's no point. Flowers wither."

"So?"

He rolled his eyes, "True beauty lasts forever. But I wouldn't expect a little girl to understand that concept."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura demanded.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Sasori replied, his tone stating he didn't really care.

Sakura turned her head in the direction opposite Sasori. "One of these days you're going to wish you were nicer to me."

"Oh really."

She looked at him again, pleased to see he was looking at her, too. With big eyes and a quivering lower lip, she said, "You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings…!" Once said, she giggled and continued walking with him. "Now then… where to next…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw that Sasori had once again stopped paying attention. His thoughts were elsewhere, and it bothered her. She wasn't pulling all the stops to get his mind off of whatever was there for nothing, after all. With a frown, she decided that the only way to get if off his mind was to make him talk about it. "Come on," she said, leading him back towards the Elder's house.

"You're done already?" he asked.

"I'm done taking in the sights for now. But I'm still going to bug you," she added, teasing.

"I should have known," Sasori sighed. Sakura was about to get angry and yell again, but he put his hand up, "Just kidding." She opened her mouth to say 'don't joke about that!' but instead, closed it and smiled at him. Maybe she had some influence on him after all. "Where are we going?"

"The roof," Sakura said, walking up the stairs that led past the attic of the house. Once on the roof, she let go of Sasori's hand and sat down, making herself comfortable. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, silently daring him to try to walk away. To her satisfaction, he knew she'd end up pulling him along and sat down nearby.

A comfortable silence passed by. The stores in Suna were beginning to close, some of the lights already dimming out. Fewer people began to walk along the streets and it was, overall, becoming quieter. "So," Sakura began, "let's talk." She looked at him. "What's special about today?"

He didn't return her gaze this time, and kept staring straight ahead, though he was most likely staring at nothing. It took a while for him to even reply. "Nothing."

Sakura folded her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. "I know you don't think of me as a friend and all, but I don't have any friends. I'm stuck in the manor all the time, and there aren't a lot of opportunities for me. But I've always thought of you as a friend since that day I first snuck out of the castle, you know."

It took time for him to reply again. It was as if whatever Sakura said took that long to process in his mind. "I know."

Her green eyes slowly drifted back to him. "Can you please tell me?"

"Why does it matter?" he asked, finally meeting her gaze.

"Because I'm worried."

"Why?"

This time, she paused. "Because I care about you."

"_Why_?" he asked again.

"Do you not understand a word I'm saying?" She sighed and calmed down, hoping she wasn't blushing. Unable to tell, she looked away in case he noticed. "Just… you know… talking about stuff… helps."

Another silenced engulfed them for a few minutes. Sakura almost thought he was going to ignore her. "It's the anniversary of my parent's death."

All previous thoughts forgotten, Sakura looked at him, shocked. She immediately felt regret sweep over her at how pushy and annoying she must have been. She should have done what he said and left him alone. That was when she realized – last year, she must have stayed in the castle on this day and not known about what it was to him. Unable to meet his gaze, Sakura looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"I knew you would say that," Sasori said, bringing Sakura's attention back to him. The slightest of smiles was on his face – small, but she could see. "You're so predictable."

Sakura felt like crying. She just… wanted to. She held her hand to her heart, and with her eyes getting watery, she smiled at him. A simple, honest, 'you're-my-favorite-person' smile.


	5. The Shadow Discovers

_**TK**_: Here it is – the chapter you all _knew_ was coming. You just _**had**_ to know.

Sorry if you don't like the Sandaime Kazekage being such an ass since he's so quote-on-quote 'renowned.' But seriously – what do we honestly know about him? Nothing. He can't be _that _great.

A quick thank you to my readers and reviewers – I hope you enjoy the new chapter. May flocks of attractive men and women parade around you for each review you leave for me~

* * *

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**The Shadow Discovers**

* * *

Sakura closed her window, sighing dreamily as she leaned against it. That had definitely been her favorite night out of the manor so far. She placed her hand against her heart and stayed quiet; her heart was _still_ racing. "If only every night could be like that… or better."

"I had a feeling this wasn't your first time sneaking out of the chateau."

The girl's eyes widened upon realization of whose voice that was. It was the last person she ever wanted to see, hear, or even just be in the presence of. It was the Kazekage. Tears welled up in her eyes – she knew what this meant. The only question was what would he do?

He stepped forward, and Sakura winced in pain when he gripped her wrist tightly in his frustration. Dragging her out of her room, the man didn't even give her a second glance. He walked with long strides, obviously in a hurry. When he turned a corner, he tugged Sakura's wrist and whirled her around violently. "How many times have you left? Where have you been going?"

"Only a couple!" Sakura cried out, using every ounce of willpower to not let her tears fall. "I only left a couple times, I swear!"

Storming down the stairs, he roughly pulled her along as well. The servants kept to their work, unable to stop staring at the sight from the corners of their eyes. "Then where did you go? Where would a little _girl_ like you have to go there? Answer!"

"Ah!" she gasped in pain. The Kazekage had pushed her forward through a doorway, causing her to land on her knees. Sakura quickly turned around to meet his gaze with fearful eyes. "Please don't! I swear, I only went a couple times! I just walked around the village! I just wanted to see!"

"See to it that it doesn't happen again," he said, his deep voice stern and demanding. "This will be your punishment." With that, he closed the door before Sakura could get to it. The unmistakable sound of a key turning signified that he had locked the door as well.

Sakura turned around, sitting down with her back against the wall. She didn't know what room she was in, but it was pitch black. The walls and floor were hard stone. Unable to see anything, she curled into a ball and shut her eyes, hoping to block out the entire world.

When Sakura was finally taken out of the room, she had collapsed from exhaustion and didn't wake up until the following evening. An old woman was sitting at her bedside – one of the servants whom had been working at the chateau for several years. She was the one who warned Sakura the most about disobeying her father. Dismayed and disappointed, Sakura turned to lay on her side, her back facing the woman.

"You should eat something, Sakura-hime. Do you want me to bring something up for you?"

"I don't want anything," Sakura replied monotonously. Her mind was distracted. She didn't know what, but something was different about her room.

The servant woman sighed, still seated next to Sakura's bed. "I'm sor-"

"How long was I locked in that room?" she asked suddenly.

"Just for one day," the elderly woman replied.

Finding her strength, Sakura slowly rose up and looked around. She didn't have to look far – her gaze was glued to her window.

The Kazekage had bolted it shut.

* * *

Sakura placed her bookmark on the current page so she wouldn't lose it and glanced at her clock once again. It was nine already. Probably the best time to make the phone call she had forgotten about before because of the book.

She picked up her cell phone from the end table and scrolled through her contacts, stopping on the one she was looking for and pushing the 'call' button.

After a couple rings, she heard Sasori answer. "_Hello_?"

"Hey!" Sakura greeted cheerfully.

"_Sakura_?"

"The one and only," she grinned. "Um… well, I got ahold of Tenten. You know, the friend I was gonna ask to date the book?"

"_Did she say yes, then?_"

Sakura paused, "Yeah, but… It's sort of an inconvenient time. It's just, she seemed really reluctant, and I didn't wanna push it, so I told her it was okay. She wants me to meet her at ten tomorrow morning, and-"

"_It's all right_."

"Are you sure? I really hate to miss work for this."

This time, **he** seemed reluctant with his reply. "_Well… I'm curious about the book, too, Sakura_."

Sakura giggled, finding his intrigue quite amusing. "Okay, okay. I'll see you and Dei when I get back, then, and tell you what she said."

"_Alright_."

"Hey…" her tone grew suspicious. "You're not still at work, are you?"

He paused again. "…_If I say 'no' will you still nag about me working too much_?"

"Yes."

A sigh. "_Then yes, still at work_."

"Sasori, you-"

"-_shouldn't be working so much, it's not healthy_." He finished her sentence word-for-word using the same patronizing tone she had used.

Sakura immediately felt her cheeks heat up. "Um… yeah, w-well, I don't mean to sound, err, annoying or anything, but… Well I was worrying and, you know, that health thing is true, and, um…"

She actually heard him laugh then. He was quiet and refined as ever, perhaps trying not to laugh, too, but laughing nonetheless. Sakura wished she could have been there. "_Not annoying_," he assured – she just _knew_ he was smiling, even if just a little bit. "_We'll go with… amusing, for now_."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, waving her hand dismissively a couple times. "You've spared yourself a rant – only, let's go with 'amazing' next time, okay?"

"_Amazing. Right_."

"Hey, hey, no sarcasm," she giggled. "Alright, I'll stop bugging you. Get some sleep though; if you're too tired tomorrow, we sure can't rely on Deidara to run the studio."

"_Definitely not_…"

"Good night, Sasori."

"_Good night_."

Sakura closed her phone, unable to stop grinning. She was sure her cheeks were going to be sore the next day and also positive she looked like an idiot. Even her cat, Yuki, was staring at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that," she said, grabbing one of her spare pillows and holding it in a threatening manner.

Yuki continued staring.

"That's just how we are!" Sakura said, setting the pillow back down. She laid down on her stomach and gently scratched Yuki behind the ears. "We… look out for each other. That's not flirting!"

With a sigh, she rose up and looked at her phone again. "I can't believe I'm having a one-sided argument with my cat. I really should have more girl talks with Ino and Hinata." She quickly glanced at Yuki, "Not that we would have _much of anything_ to discuss. Just… you know, what goes on in their lives. Certainly nothing in mine. Right." That decided, she picked up her book once more and opened it. "I really should get some sleep now so I can be up and about in time, but I'm really getting into this story…"

* * *

Days passed, most of Sakura's time spent locked in her room. With her window barred, there was no way she could get out of her room. So she would sit there and look out it, staring at the village like she used to do before she had ever tried escaping. Only this time, she had the memories of what it was like to be out there.

Days soon turned to months. Sakura soon realized that she would never leave the confinement of her room ever again. She stopped counting them after a while.

Every day, the old servant woman would come to bring Sakura something to eat or even just to talk. Sakura was usually unresponsive. This evening was, however, slightly different. The old woman came in with a pastry from the bakery that had a single lit candle in the center. "Happy twelfth birthday, Sakura-hime," she said with a smile, setting it down on the windowsill next to the girl.

Sakura looked at it, surprised that someone had remembered her birthday. "Thank you," she said quietly. Then another thought hit her. She bit her lower lip and looked out the window, disappointed with herself once again. She hadn't been given the chance to say 'happy birthday' to Sasori – if she remembered right, he had turned thirteen a few weeks before. The small cake reminded her of that. Though he probably would have been annoyed as always if she had mentioned his birthday, she still wanted to.

The servant woman sighed, sitting down in the spare chair nearby. It was now time for small talk – she had come close to getting a positive response from Sakura. "Did you hear about the ninja who disappeared?"

Sakura looked at her, expression showing mild interest. "Disappeared?"

"That's right," the woman nodded. "No one has seen Hiruko for three days now. He was one of our strongest shinobi, too… Well, I shouldn't speak of him as if he were dead. I'm sure someone will find him."

"I doubt it," Sakura said, returning her gaze to the window once more.

"Sakura-hime, there's something else I have to tell you. It involves you." Sakura looked at her once more, inquisitively. "Kazekage-sama has… become quite taken with another woman."

Sakura raised a pink eyebrow, not sure she was coming to the right understanding. "_Excuse_ me?"

"Everyone believes he will remarry soon," she verified.

Sakura smiled at the window bitterly. "Heh, I wonder if she even knows I exist."

"She does, actually…" The servant woman paused, "I'm not sure what her opinion is of you, dear. But I have good news at least." Her tone lightened considerably, as if all was suddenly well. To Sakura, it wasn't. "You won't be confined to your room anymore. You're allowed to walk around the chateau as long as you don't leave the perimeter. The guards will tell Kazekage-sama if you do."

At first, Sakura was still upset. What good would it do her to leave her room only to be watched constantly by everyone outside? She still couldn't leave the manor, after all. Then, an idea hit her. "Very well," she said, a slight grin crossing her lips. "If he believes a couple guards can keep me here, then so be it. **He** is a fool."

The woman's eyes widened, "Sakura-hime, you mustn't-"

"Are you going to say anything?" Sakura asked, standing up.

"N-no, but…"

"Then remain silent. You know nothing, therefore you can be blamed for nothing." She smiled once again, looking at the window as she stood there. Perhaps more of Sasori had rubbed off on her more than she thought. Oh, how she looked forward to seeing him once more.

All that remained was waiting. The old servant woman eventually left, and one by one the lights in the Kazekage's chateau went out. Satisfied, Sakura changed out of her clothes and into more casual wear. After she tied her hair back into a bun, she exited her room silently.

The hallways were quiet and dark – most everyone had to have gone to sleep by then. Sakura didn't even know what time it was exactly, only that it was late. She wouldn't be wandering around the village this time; all the shops would be closed. Not at all bothered by this fact, Sakura found her resolve in getting out of the mansion as soon as possible.

Once by the front door, she was pleased to see the so-called 'guard' wasn't as threatening as the servant woman had described it to be. A single shinobi, sleeping as he sat on the ground with his back against the wall. _Still_, Sakura thought, _the front door would make too much noise. It would be better to find another route_.

As silently as she had come, Sakura turned and walked towards the dining room. She had an idea, and the uncommon, unsuspected dining room seemed to be the best choice. Once inside, she checked the room for any guards, pleased to not find any. After all, they would have nothing to guard in this room. Carefully, Sakura pushed open one of the tall windows and climbed outside. It was on the first floor, so it wasn't much of a drop at all.

At long last, she had made it out of the manor. She smiled slightly, "Fresh air…" Walking down the main street of Suna, she looked at the houses she passed by. Some still had lights on, with families talking or laughing or even yelling. "They don't realize how lucky they are to live like this," she muttered to herself.

When she reached her destination, Sakura knocked on the door a couple times. As she expected, Chiyo soon answered it. She looked at Sakura, completely surprised. "Sakura? How did – wasn't your window bolted shut?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, but I'm allowed out of my room now. I snuck out the dining room window this time… I don't think he'll seal that one shut."

"That's not the point," Chiyo said. She looked around, making sure none of the villagers were watching, and then beckoned Sakura inside. After shutting her front door, she looked at the twelve-year-old once again. "You're bringing about a large risk to yourself, Sakura."

"I know…"

"Obviously you don't. Why do you keep coming back? Do you enjoy making the Kazekage angry with you?"

Sakura looked appalled, "No, no of course not! I just… I… **You** wouldn't understand! _**You**_ don't have to spend the majority of your life locked in a room, Chiyo-baa-sama."

The elder sighed, looking towards the ground. She could understand Sakura's pent up frustration and longing for the outside, but the girl didn't seem to understand that she would keep getting caught and keep endangering herself. "Very well… But please, Sakura, I'm asking you to be careful. The Kazekage is not a stupid man – he didn't get that title on a whim."

"Okay," Sakura said, nodding her head once.

"I've got work to do; you can stay in the living room or get yourself something to eat if you like. I think Sasori locked himself in his room again, though."

"It's all right," she assured. "Thank you." Walking past Chiyo, Sakura entered the hallway and walked up to Sasori's door. She knocked on it once. It was ignored. "Sasori? I… It's me… Sakura. I know it's been a long time and all, but… I, well, I couldn't get out of the manor. My window was…"

The door opened. Sakura looked and saw him, sitting at his desk as usual. He appeared nonchalant, but she knew he was surprised, even if just a little bit, to see her. She walked inside and closed the door behind her. "Still reading about that poison, huh?" she asked with a smile.

"I suppose." Sasori watched her for a while – Sakura was different somehow. Older, maybe more mature; she had obviously been locked in her room for too long. "How did you get out?"

Sakura sat down on his bed and crossed her legs with a shrug. "I went out the dining room window this time. There weren't any guards in there, so…" her voice trailed off. She looked at him. "How've you been?"

He closed his eyes, sighing slowly before reopening them, his gaze on the floor. He stayed silent for a moment before meeting her gaze once more. "I'm leaving soon."

She blinked, "You're what?"

"Leaving the village."

Sakura took a moment's pause. She wasn't sure she was understanding this right. "You mean… you're leaving Suna? F-for good?" He nodded. "…But… won't that make you…"

"A missing-nin."

Was he testing her? Was he trying to see how she would react to him saying that, or did he really mean it? Or worse… was it both? Sakura was barely able to make eye-contact. "And… you obviously can't come back…"

Sasori's tone remained emotionless – as if the whole prospect of leaving was nothing to him. "I don't want to."

"Do you hate it here?"

"This place has nothing to offer me anymore," he said. "I don't have any ties to this village. There's no reason for me to stay."

Sakura bit her lower lip. "I'm… surprised you're telling me this. Aren't you afraid that I'll tell someone and they'll stop you?"

"No," Sasori replied. "You wouldn't tell if you wanted to – not that you ever would."

A fake smile crossed the features of her young face. "Am I that predictable?"

He smiled slightly, standing up and walking over to her. She looked at him, surprised, when he sat next to her, gazing out the window with ease. "You are, but you're also loyal; almost to a fault. You couldn't betray someone if your life depended on it." Sasori looked at her, a more cynical grin on his face. "Especially someone you care about."

Sakura forced herself to look away, the same pretend smile on her face as she kept her green eyes on the ground. "You know… you could bring down your game a bit when you're around me. But I suppose that's part of your fun. You enjoy reading people."

"It's mildly amusing," he agreed, returning his gaze to the window. "Sakura."

She looked at him, wondering what he would say. "Yes?"

Glancing at her once out of the corner of his amber eyes, he stated, "You can come with me, if you want."

* * *

**TK: **Hah. You were all thinking he'd pull a Sasuke, right? Pfft. As if.


	6. Undeniable Attraction

**TK**: Talk about a shite way to leave you guys hanging, huh? Sorry about that. This chapter is mostly Real Life with just a little bit from the book in the beginning. We finally figure out how old it is! We also finally get to enter Vollenden, Ino's salon and spa that has been mentioned here and in Upside-Down, too.

* * *

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Undeniable Attraction**

* * *

"Do you mean it…?"

Sasori looked at her, taking in her facial expression. Shock, disbelief, joy, surprise, eagerness, anticipation… she really wanted to go. Perhaps she really was loyal to a fault. "I do, but you have to know exactly what you're getting yourself into."

"What's there to know?" Sakura asked, overwhelmed. "I can't believe you're actually going to let me go with you. This is amazing!"

He sighed. He was going to have to basically spell it out for her. Maybe she was too naïve. "Why do you think I'm developing a poison, Sakura?"

Slowly, the traces of happiness and delight faded away, replaced with hesitation. "I know…"

"This isn't a vacation."

"I know, but that doesn't matter!" Sakura assured with pleading eyes. "Please let me go with you. It doesn't matter what you do or what you're involved in or anything – you're still you, and I want to go with you! You're… I… Sasori, I just…"

Sasori watched her carefully – Sakura really was easy to read. She let her emotions stay on the outside and wasn't very good at hiding them. "Living in that chateau has given you your own stack of gossip, I'm sure. Have you heard about the missing ninja?"

"Hiruko, I think?" Sakura asked, hoping she remembered the name right. She knew she had to play her cards right and do the best she could so Sasori wouldn't change his mind about letting her go with. That was what mattered the most. This was important – if she could go with him, she could not only be out of the castle, but _stay _with **him** forever.

A slightly wry grin crossed Sasori's lips. Sakura's eyes widened, "You mean… So then he really wasn't missing, he…"

"He's dead."

Sakura was partially in a state of shock, trying her hardest to take all of the information in. "But… but why? Why would you…"

"Art."

She looked at him, bewildered. Had her best friend just said he killed someone for the sake of art? She expected him to be less inclined to the side of 'good' when he started working on that poison, but this… Her eyes slowly drifted to the corner of the room, finally noticing the strange puppet she had failed to see before. Her lips parted in silent gasp.

"Do you still want to leave Suna?" Sasori asked, the same cruel grin on his face.

So he really was testing her. The whole time had been part of his test. He was seeing if she had the _stomach_ for it, for his chosen lifestyle. **For his art.** He was seeing if her loyalty to him had limits. It didn't.

"I do," Sakura said, still gaping at the partially covered, half-wooden body of Hiruko. How had she not noticed it wasn't like the other puppets before? "I don't think I could ever… k-kill someone," she continued uneasily. She met his gaze at last, "But I want to go with you. Wherever you go, I want to be there."

"Then we'll go," Sasori said simply. He appeared satisfied with her answer, with her reactions; satisfied, but not surprised. It had been a test, a long test, but he had successfully predicted the outcome. He knew how she would react with perfected ease and was proven correct. "Two years from now. I'll help you get out of the chateau."

Sakura smiled in awe – she had never been so happy. "And then?"

"Our eternity."

* * *

With a rather giddy expression, Sakura bookmarked her page and set the book down on her end table. It seemed a good place to stop, though she still wanted to read about their getaway and what came after that. It would all have to wait until tomorrow, though. It was late, and she couldn't deny herself anymore sleep. Beauty, health and sanity depended on it, after all.

The next morning, she was quick to get ready. Sakura dressed in a simple outfit – black capris with her favorite green shirt. She had given up on wearing red like she used to as a child. Once introduced to the fashion world, she realized just how much it clashed with her pink hair. Tsk, tsk.

Sakura brushed her hair and decided to let it stay down that day, not wanting to put forth the effort (and time) to get it in an impressive style. She could always go to Ino for that. She ate a quick apple while watching the local news, which proved to be rather boring in her opinion, and then walked to the entryway of her flat.

She looked for simple shoes – the heels made her feet ache the day before and just wouldn't do today. Picking out some simple black sandals, Sakura put on her white trench coat and walked out the door, purse and car keys in hand.

The drive to Tenten's work was fairly simple and only involved a few different turns from what she would normally take to get to Akatsuki Studios. After parking her car off to the side, she walked towards the building only to be stopped.

"Sakura, I'm right here."

Sakura turned in the direction of the voice and smiled. Tenten had barely changed. She still had that slightly tomboyish look about her. Though Sakura had to admit it was odd seeing her in a white lab coat and gloves. She was standing outside the building though, probably waiting for her. "Hey, Ten."

"You wanted me to get an accurate date on a book, you said?" Tenten asked. As a teen, she had always put her hair up in two buns – now, she had more of the business look about her, with just a single one pulled up high on the back of her head.

Sakura nodded, holding out the book to her. "This is it." She inwardly sighed with relief when she saw the corners of Tenten's mouth tug upwards in a smile.

"It brings back memories, doesn't it? God, I remember all those times I would go to _**you**_ for homework help. And here we are." She continued smiling, obviously reminiscing in her mind.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Sakura chuckled. "I really appreciate you doing this for me, Tenten."

Tenten sighed, walking towards the building and carrying the book very carefully, so as not to damage it. Sakura followed, slightly embarrassed that not even she had handled it with as much care. "I know, and I'm sorry if I was a bit short on the phone yesterday. You and Ino were just such party animals back in the day, you know? I've got a job now, and I'm still in college, majoring in all this crap. I don't want to get involved in all that again, you understand."

Sakura blinked, surprised at finding out the reason Tenten had distanced herself. "If I had known that was all, I would have called you a long time ago, Ten. Really, it's no big deal. I'm sort of in the same position. I'm studying to be a doctor, you know."

"Really?" Tenten asked, surprised. "I didn't think you'd go through with that. I mean, I knew you wanted to, but I didn't know you really would."

"Yeah," she replied. "It's what I want to do with my life. Like you and science. I have to tell Ino all the time that I just don't have the time and patience for her partying. But, you know me, I give in every once and a while. We're going out tonight to Temari's new club."

Tenten nodded, opening the door to a room but not entering. "You always did have a hard time saying 'no' to your friends. I think that part of you rubbed off on me," she teased. "Well, this is where we part. If you're patient, you can wait in the lobby and read a magazine or something. This should only take me twenty, twenty-five minutes."

"All right, just come get me or something when you're done," Sakura said.

"Will do."

Sakura turned and walked back to the large room they had walked from. She looked around, taking in the surroundings. It was plain save for a couple of plants in the corners and seats. After helping herself to the water machine, she took a seat and looked through the magazines. Settling on a celebrity gossip magazine, she looked at a couple pictures, reading whatever seemed interesting.

With the help of the reading material, the twenty-five minutes went by faster than she thought. Tenten came out of the room she was in, a pair of goggles around her neck as if she had just taken them off her eyes. She had a serious, slightly puzzled look on her face as she sat down in the seat next to Sakura, who immediately set the magazine down and looked at her expectantly. Tenten spoke first, reluctantly, "Sakura… how much do you know about the decaying process?"

Sakura paused, "Err… well, I'm not really in that section of my college course – we're still on organs, and-"

Tenten raised her hand briefly for silence. "It's okay. Well… when it comes to things like books, you have a few things to take into account rather than just normal decaying and erosion. For example," she parted the fingers of her raised hand, "as I'm sure you know, there's a lot of oils on the human hand, as well as other things since it's the part of your body that, well, touches."

"You're saying… because a book is touched a lot by human hands – they have to touch it to read it – then that makes it, um, decay faster?" Sakura ventured.

"Exactly," Tenten nodded. "And of course, there's air and possible water damage as well as other things – a lot can happen to books because they're rather vulnerable. Especially the pages, given the fact that they're so thin and covered with ink. All things in tow, something about this book truly puzzles me."

Instantly, a worried expression came over Sakura's face. She dreaded the answer. "What's that…?"

"Our technology here is completely accurate – we can date things up to 60,000 years of age. Obviously no book was made 60,000 years ago, so there's no way we could be wrong, _plus_, I had my mentor help me out." Tenten seemed hesitant. "Sakura… the book is approximately 482 years old."

"That's not normal, is it?" Sakura asked dreadfully.

"Definitely not. Most books barely last 200 years, even in the best of care. Now, I'm aware this book," Tenten held out the book as she said this, "is obviously not in perfect condition. It's a bit tattered here and there, but overall, to the naked eye, it would appear, oh, say maybe twenty to thirty years old. I don't mean to sound blunt, but… Sakura, where on _Earth_ did you find this book?"

Sakura smiled at her stupidly, "A public library?"

Tenten stared at her friend incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," the younger of the two said. "I just checked it out for some reading and wanted to get it dated to see how old it was, since it doesn't say."

"You don't know anything else about the book?" Tenten asked hopefully.

"Nope, not a thing." Sakura frowned when she saw Tenten's look of dismay. "I'm sorry – I can ask the librarian if you want."

"It's all right; she probably won't know, either. Still – it's quite remarkable to see a book last so long. I bet it's worth quite a bit of money." She grinned at her, "You might want to consider 'losing' the book so you have to pay for it and then keep it. You know… an accident."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, "You say _**I**_ rubbed off on you? I do believe that was **Ino's** dangerous side just speaking!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tenten chuckled. "Well, call me sometime. Just no crazy parties."

"Sure thing," Sakura said smiling. She stood up and let Tenten walk her to the front doors nearby. After a quick hug goodbye, Sakura got in her car and headed to work. It was 10:45 by then; Sakura had to dodge traffic a couple times before finally making it to the studio. She still had a giddy expression on her face as she parked her car and walked inside.

Deidara was by the computer this time, yawning as he checked his e-mail. He glanced at her, his blue eyes glistening brightly regardless of how sleepy he still was. "Hey, cherry chick," he greeted.

"Hi, Dei," Sakura smiled back. She walked inside and hung up her trench coat on the coat rack before walking over to him. Resting her palms on the white desk, she leaned over and looked at the computer screen. Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Fanmail?"

"_Naturally_," Deidara grinned. He yawned again, blinking a few times to help hold his eyes open so he could finish reading the e-mail.

"Did you stay up late?" Sakura asked, looking at him. His blonde hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail today, rather than the usual style.

Deidara turned his head towards the single hallway opposite the desk, glaring at Sasori. "I don't know, yeah," he said sarcastically. "**Did I**?"

Sasori was tilting a painting on the wall, aligning it so it was even and level with the others. He stepped back a couple paces and looked at it from far away, to make sure. It apparently took Deidara a while to realize he was ignoring him.

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "What's this I'm hearing about staying up late?"

Deidara closed the open window on the computer and stood up in a hurry. "Uh-oh; nag time. Better run for it, yeah!" he joked, heading up the stairs.

"Deidara!" Sakura scolded, her voice forcing him to stop at the first step. He turned around with his hands in the air, signaling his surrender. Sakura sighed, "You guys can leave at seven, why don't you?"

"It's difficult," Sasori said, tilting the left side of the painting.

Deidara, however, merely shrugged in response. "People keep buying things before we can even finish them. I can't help it if they just can't get enough of me, chick."

Sakura walked towards the painting and tilted it slightly towards the right. She and Sasori stood back and looked at it before Sakura nodded approvingly. "That should do it. It looks really nice. I bet it'll only last a week."

Deidara's eye twitched, "Wow. Ignore Deidara Day or something, yeah?"

Sasori looked at Sakura curiously, "How did your visit with your friend go?"

She blinked, somehow having completely forgotten about the book. "Oh. Well… it's weird." She paused, wondering how best to word it. "The book's about four hundred eighty-two years old, she said. Tenten also said that most books barely last two hundred years, and asked me a bunch of questions I didn't know how to answer about it." Sasori remained silent, seemingly in deep thought over the book. Sakura tried to lighten things up, "Well, at least now we know that Chiyo didn't have anything to do with it."

"Still," he said, accepting the book from Sakura when she held it out to him. "It's strange." Sasori set the book down on the desk and flipped through a couple pages like he had before. "So old and yet in this condition? It doesn't look four hundred years old."

"My thoughts exactly," Sakura sighed, slumping down in the chair Deidara had previously been sitting in. "And why are _we_ in it."

Deidara's mouth opened in surprise. "Whoa, wait a minute. You got a book – with you two in it?"

"Not _**just**_ us," Sakura said, giving him an annoyed look at the insinuation. She shook her head once, "Wait – no, it's not even us. It's coincidence. I mean, there's no other explanation, and it's so old…"

"Have you considered returning it?" Sasori asked, turning a few more pages as he skimmed the paragraphs quickly. He brushed a few strands of his red hair out of his eyes and kept his careful gaze on the book.

"Why?" Sakura asked, stunned that he would ask that.

Sasori looked at her, his amber eyes as brilliant as ever. "It's causing you a lot of stress."

Sakura couldn't think of a reply at first. The familiar feeling she had felt a couple times the night before while reading came back, and she felt her face begin to feel hot. She immediately looked away and towards the ground, determined for him not to see. How embarrassing it would be for one's **boss** to see one _blushing_ for him. "Err… I'm fine." She chuckled nervously, quick to direct the subject to a happier tone. "Talk about role-reversal, huh? I thought I was the one to make sure _you_ didn't overdo it, heheh…"

As Sasori kept his perceptive gaze on her, Deidara raised his eyebrows. Clearly he was missing something in the picture, and he was just itching to figure out what it was.

"So!" Sakura said suddenly, standing up. "Um… I'm just going to," she started walking towards the restroom, "err… be right back. Hahah…" She was quick to keep her head down and walked in a fast pace to the bathroom. Sakura closed the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

She walked towards the sinks and looked into the mirror, her right hand holding the side of her face as she looked at the blush on her cheeks. It had lightened considerably, she knew, but she didn't have the guts to walk out just yet. _Why is this happening_? she mentally demanded. _Ugh… I think I need some time off_.

After a few more minutes of meditation and calming, Sakura left the restroom and walked back outside. Sasori was now seated, reading the book. He seemed rather absorbed in whatever section it was he was reading – from the thickness of the pages on either side, it appeared he was somewhere in the middle of the book, past the point where Sakura was. "You either read fast or you're skimming a lot," Sakura said with a smile, still embarrassed about the previous situation.

"I skimmed through the beginning," Sasori said, keeping his eyes on the current page. "It's really something, isn't it?"

Sakura felt herself blush once more and looked away, her hand sliding to the back of her neck. "Err… yeah." It hadn't occurred to her that Sasori would eventually read the parts about their characters as young teenagers. She didn't know why she was embarrassed about this thing in particular, but she just was. "I'm… gonna take my lunch break early. Is that okay?"

"Sure."

Sakura nodded and put on her trench coat. Once outside the building, she sighed with relief. She got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She was a half hour early for lunch, but didn't really care at the moment. She simply needed a breather and had to get away, if even for a mere hour.

By breather, she meant girl talk. And who's the best to talk to about girly problems? Ino Yamanaka, that's who.

Ino owned a hair salon and spa called Vollenden, where Hinata also worked as a beautician. Sakura would have worked there, but she started working at Akatsuki Studios before Vollenden had opened, and found she really enjoyed her job there.

Vollenden was a one-story building, unlike the studio's two-story structure. It was brick in design with a simple roof, complete with four tall windows, two on either side of the glass front doors. Sakura parked her car in the first available spot she saw, relieved to see that it wasn't too busy, and walked inside.

Soft, relaxation music was playing in the background, resembling the sounds of nature. A fancy stone fountain was in the middle of the main room. Sakura smiled and waved to Hinata, who was with a client but managed to wave back the same way. Another employee, whom Sakura had never met, was helping a different client get their hair dyed.

Sakura sat down in one of the chairs in the entryway, waiting for someone to show up at the front desk. After twiddling her thumbs nervously for two minutes, Ino herself showed up. She had a look of surprise when she saw Sakura sitting there, looking right at her. "Wow, hey, Sakura."

"I need some help," Sakura said miserably.

Ino tilted her head slightly, not sure she knew what Sakura was referring to. "You want to schedule something?"

Sakura shook her head exasperatedly, "No! I need some girl talk. Serious."

"Sure, okay, come on," Ino said, gesturing for Sakura to follow her. "It must be serious if you left work," she mentioned as they walked past the fountain and through the large room dedicated to hair styling.

"It's my lunch break," Sakura admitted, knowing she wouldn't skip work for something like this intentionally.

"Ah." They entered a new room once going through the doors at the end of the fountain room. Ino closed the doors behind her. It was one of the massage rooms, but it was unoccupied, so it would have to work. The dimmed lighting couldn't be avoided. After the two women got situated and sat down on the massage bed, Ino crossed her legs and looked at her friend expectantly. "Okay, what's your problem?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but found she just didn't know where to begin. It didn't seem the best choice to mention the book to Ino, so she tried to keep her explanation of her problem simple and short. "Well… lately, err, things have just… been different."

"Man wise?" Ino asked bluntly. It was as if the subject was idle chatter to her. Then again, it most likely was. Sakura looked away, twirling a couple strands of her pink hair around her index finger. Ino, slightly annoyed, took Sakura's wrist and set it down. "Keep eye-contact. Come on, girl, it's me. We're best friends – don't go all shy and nervous. What's up?"

Sakura looked at Ino, her friend's teal eyes shining curiously even in the dim lighting. She swallowed hard. "I… I'm starting to, to _look_ at someone… _differently_," she said evasively.

Ino thought for a brief moment, translating Sakura-talk into Ino-talk. "You're recently seeing a guy as really hot and attractive."

"Ugh…"

"Why ugh?" Ino laughed. "Lucky you – you're getting over Sasuke. God, I wish I could do that. So easier said than done; he's just such a cutie, even if he's an ass. So who is it?"

Sakura sighed, finding Ino's carefree personality and lack of judgment towards her reassuring. Ino boosted her confidence and made her feel better just by being simple-minded. She smiled sheepishly, "Do you think that whole employees-aren't-allowed-to-date thing is real?"

Ino's jaw dropped, quickly covered by a squeal of delight. She pulled Sakura into a giddy hug, "Oh my God! Which one? They're both so delicious, don't you think?"

"Oh man, it was so embarrassing," Sakura began. "Earlier – this is why I came out here for lunch – earlier, I was talking to Sasori and… I don't know, I just couldn't keep my eyes off him. And then he said something short and simple, of course, but it showed that he cared, you know, that he was looking out for me. I could **not** stop blushing – it was so embarrassing!"

"Eek!" Ino said, extremely giddy and delighted. "What did you do?"

"I ran in the bathroom," Sakura confided distressfully. "I know, stupid, stupid, but I was so embarrassed! I couldn't think! I didn't want him to _**see**_ me blushing!"

"Why not? Guys like that."

Sakura's eyes widened, "Ah! No! No! There's no _**way**_ he'd even – never mind. So, I came out of the bathroom like ten minutes later and it happened again. He's just so – so… Oh my God, what's happening to me…"

"SO – **CUTE**!" Ino squealed again, pulling Sakura into another hug. "This is so exciting! Can I meddle? Please, oh please, can I meddle? I'll be good, I promise!"

"What?" Sakura gasped. "No way! No! I'm not even going to do anything about it – I just have to… uh, get over it. That's it."

"No, no, no!" Ino cried. "Don't run away from your _feelings_! Hehe, I totally know you can get him! Like the old days, Forehead! You and me – the hottest girls in high school! We could get any guy we wanted!"

"That was _high school_," Sakura countered. She took a calming breath. "Okay. Maybe. Will that work for now?"

"No."

"I'll **try**, how about that?"

Ino grinned, "I look forward to it."


	7. When Your World Crumbles

_**TK**_: Ah yes, big surprise last chapter. Unfortunately, this is where the shit hits the fan. (Ignore the flashback from Airplane)… Though you readers are probably too young to know that reference.

Moving on! This chapter marks the end of part one in the book that Sakura is reading (the First Chance, if you will). You'll see why at the end, if you haven't figured it out. Some of you have.

On another note... I'm so sorry about the delay! It's just, not only am I busy lately beyond all imagination, I'm steadily losing inspiration. It kills. I'm also sorry I haven't been able to reply to your reviews individually like I used to. I'll try but I have almost no free time anymore. And I fear, if I can't get rid of this writer's block, this story will land itself in Hiatus Land.

Hope you enjoy the chapter regardless.

* * *

_**A Third Chance**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**When Your World Crumbles**

* * *

Before her lunch hour ran out of time, Sakura was able to make it back to Akatsuki Studios. She spent a full three minutes in the car, telling herself she would survive and _**not**_ stare at her boss all day. _Yeah right._ At least not get **caught** staring at her boss all day. _Oh man,_ she thought miserably. _I must sound so bad, ack!_

Sakura walked inside, surprised to see Sasori was still reading the book. He didn't even notice her come in. Deidara was hovering over his shoulder, pretending to be looking through a file from the filing cabinet whilst instead he was glancing at the book every so often.

"Hey, guys," Sakura said, hanging her trench coat back up.

"Heya," Deidara grinned. "Bring me anything?"

"You didn't ask," Sakura replied teasingly. "I didn't go out to eat, anyway, sorry, Dei. I hung out with Ino for a bit."

"You wasted your lunch hour and you didn't get _**food**_, yeah?" He sounded a mixture of shocked and disappointed. With a sigh, he shrugged and said, "Oh well, you'll get hungry later and be sorry."

Sakura looked at him, giving him the best puppy-face she could manage. She stuck out her lower lip slightly, complete with a small whimpering noise. "You'll get me something on your lunch break… won't you?"

Deidara was able to keep her gaze with a straight face for a full ten seconds. Then he scowled and walked towards the front door. "Yeah, yeah, fine. Be back in a few."

Sakura grinned as she watched him walk out the door. Deidara didn't realize that he forgot to get Sakura's money for whatever it was he was going to bring her. Oops. That said and done, she walked over to the desk and looked at the book. Her green eyes then drifted up to Sasori. "Sasori?"

He looked at her quickly – he even appeared a bit startled or surprised. "You're back early," he said softly. It was either Sakura's imagination or Sasori looked as if he was somewhat in a daze.

Sakura tilted her head worriedly, "You didn't hear me come in?"

"Huh?" A quick pause. "Oh. No, sorry."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Unconvinced, Sakura put her right hand on his forehead, pushing a few of his messy red bangs back. Her left hand was then placed on her own forehead. "Hmm… You don't have a fever," she said, removing her hands.

He managed a smile at her. "I'm fine, Sakura."

Sakura couldn't help but smile back. "Okay. What part are you reading?"

To her surprise, Sasori suddenly closed the book and set it back down on the desk. "Nothing, really." He stood up and looked out the tall window by the front door. "Did Deidara leave?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, he went to lunch. You were really engrossed in that book, huh?" She chuckled, "It does that to me, too. I forget to pay attention to what else is going on."

Sasori looked at her, and for the longest time, didn't reply. Sakura felt worry once again. "Something like that… yes."

"Wow…" she murmured. "You really are distracted, aren't you? Is it because you stayed up too late? You know, lack of sleep is really bad for-"

"Don't worry." Short and sweet – typical of him, though just enough. He walked past her and towards the stairs, headed for the second floor.

Sakura sat down in the chair, breathing heavily. She finally felt the blood rushing to her face, knowing an intense blush was on her. It didn't matter now, though. Hell, she was amazed she was able to hold it in during that.

Her gaze drifted to the book. A curious expression crossed the features of her face. She wondered just what it was that Sasori had read. He was always so calm and collected – what could possibly distract him like that? Not to mention the way he stared at her just moments before… Sakura's heart was racing.

* * *

Barely a month later, the Kazekage officially announced his engagement to the rest of Suna. Sakura stayed in her room while he did this. It was… disgusting. That seemed to be the best way she could put it. He made such a big deal about Sakura, making a point to make her life miserable with every opportunity, for the claimed reason that she had taken his first wife away from him – and then he goes and marries some random woman?

She could only imagine what she had in store for the next two years until she and Sasori left Suna. Of course, when thinking of that, her foul mood quickly vanished. Just the thought of that day helped lift Sakura's mood. Naturally, she had already imagined several scenarios of how it would go. She began to doubt whether or not she'd get any sleep the week before they left.

Time went on; the passing months, as slow as they seemed to Sakura, eventually turned into a year. Barely two weeks after her thirteenth birthday, her 'wicked stepmother' (so kindly dubbed by Chiyo) gave birth to a son. _How_ _**wonderful**_, Sakura thought distastefully. _The __**heir**__ he's always wanted._

With a sigh, she laid down in her bed, pulling the covers over her head as if to drown out the outside world. For the moment, all Sakura wanted to do was sleep. It would have to do for now.

**-X-**

"How long do you plan to keep her around?"

The servant woman stopped in her tracks, surprised to hear Kyoko, the Kazekage's bride, speaking in such a tone. She silently walked up to the door she heard the voice come from. It was ever-so-slightly ajar, as if someone had just barely given it a light push and hadn't bothered to close it the rest of the way.

The Kazekage turned his head, looking at his solemn wife with an expression of intrigue. "Sakura?" he asked, though was quite sure he knew whom she was referring to. It was true. Sakura was an annoyance – perhaps now more than ever.

After a short pause, the brunette woman met her husband's gaze. "Yes." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "If you're really that concerned about your image, and what the public would think if you just disowned her, than why not put your creativity to the test?"

He didn't need to think twice to figure out her meaning that time. "Frame."

"Any ideas?"

"It'll be ruining the life of whoever we decide to pin the murder on," the Kazekage said. "The only problem I see would be if Chiyo-baa-sama got in the way. Other than that, it would be rather simple. Any ideas… Kyoko?"

A wry smile crossed her lips. "How about the traditional 'wrong place at the wrong time' instance? No one would believe a commoner's word over that of the Kazekage."

At that moment, everything began to fall in place. "Precisely."

"The question is when," Kyoko continued. "It wouldn't be wise, now that our son has just been born. The best idea would be to wait about a year from today. Nothing could be traced to us."

The old woman brought her hand over her mouth, a frozen look of shock covering the features of her face. As quietly as possible, she turned and walked away, not waiting to hear the rest. As she walked to the exit of the chateau, she didn't have to think about where she was going. She knew right then that the only people she could tell would have to be the elders. Chiyo was her best choice, considering she was more often readily available.

Without a second thought, she knocked on the front door of the small house at a hasty pace. Chiyo quickly came to its answer. "Yes?"

"I have to talk to you, Chiyo-baa-sama," the woman replied with urgency. "It's a serious, private matter."

Chiyo quickly ushered her inside, knowing already this wasn't something to take lightly. Chiyo sat down on the couch in the living room next to Sasori, who was reading another book. The servant woman took her seat when Chiyo gestured to the chair across from her with a wave of her hand. "All right, what seems to be the problem?"

"Kazekage-sama is going to execute his own daughter!"

Chiyo's eyes widened considerably – out of the million possibilities she had expected, that wasn't one of them. Sasori's amber eyes slowly drifted from the book to look at the woman, his calculating stare as perceptive as ever. When Chiyo finally found her voice, all she was able to say was, "_What_?"

The other elderly woman was extremely distraught; it was clear the stress was getting to her, especially as she started fidgeting with her fingers. "I-I was doing my duties at the manor, b-but I overheard… I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I couldn't help it – p-poor Sakura-hime… Chiyo-baa-sama, I didn't know what to do!"

"You did the right thing by coming to me," Chiyo told her, though even she was searching her mind to try to decide how to act. She couldn't see any trace of lie in the woman's voice or expression. She had obvious signs of shock and distress. If she was telling the truth, which Chiyo believed to be so, there weren't many ways to go about doing anything. "You need to understand… I'm not left with many options."

The servant's mouth opened in surprise. "But… but you have to do something! You _must_! If you don't, she'll die!"

Chiyo raised her hand in motion of silence. "Please stay calm. I know. But if I act without thinking things through, nothing will be gained. This could be turned around and pinned on me, after all." She took a deep breath, slowing her mental pace down to help herself analyze the situation. "Do you have any proof to offer?"

She looked at Chiyo incredulously. "H-how could I possible have…?"

Again, the village elder was silent for a while. "That brings down our options considerably, as well as our chances of stopping this. You know very well an accusation – especially one of this caliber and towards the Kazekage, no less – cannot be done without evidence. How can you or anyone expect me to make a charge of this magnitude with no verification?"

"You… you have a year," the other woman said, trying to calm herself down. "They said they would do it in a year because they didn't want it to be traced back… to _them_."

"Did they mention a manner of execution?"

Chiyo slowly looked towards her grandson, surprised to see his gaze on the servant before them. The servant woman nodded once, rubbing her eyes. "They said they were going to frame someone. They said it would be the 'wrong place at the wrong time' sort of thing…"

"I see." Without another word, he resumed reading.

"Aren't you worried at all?" Chiyo asked.

"No."

She didn't ask further. She couldn't deter if he truly didn't care or if he was hiding something. There were ways in which he surpassed even her. Chiyo finally stood up and led the old woman to her front door. "Return to the castle before someone decides you have been away for 'too long' and decide to interrogate you on where you were. You know nothing, so you needn't worry."

"Y-yes… Chiyo-baa-sama…"

* * *

"Yo, cherry chick-"

"_What_?" Sakura asked exasperatedly, placing her hands on the desk for emphasis. She was totally engrossed in the book and did **not** want to be disturbed. She blinked with surprise when she saw it was Deidara holding a bag of carry-out food. "Oh."

Deidara smirked as he walked over to her, purposefully holding the bag over her head just high enough that she couldn't reach. "What do you saaaaay?" he teased.

"Um… give or else?"

"Nope. Magic word, cherry chick… yeah."

"Please?"

"**My** magic word…ss," he added at the end, remembering it was more than one word.

Sakura sighed, defeated, and droned out, "Art is a bang…"

Out of nowhere, a crumpled piece of paper hit Deidara on the side of his face. "No it isn't," Sasori said plainly, walking past him and towards Sakura. He handed her a tan folder. "I forgot to mention – while you were out earlier, I got a call for a meeting. Could you input it on the computer?"

"Sure thing," Sakura replied, smiling.

Deidara picked up the piece of paper and opened it. "What the hell, yeah?" It was just a plain sheet of printing paper.

Sakura giggled, using the moment's distraction to snatch the sandwich bag from his other hand. "Hey, thanks, Dei. My favorite."

Deidara's jaw dropped. "No fair…"

* * *

A couple nights later, Sakura was making her usual preparations for sneaking out. It had been at least a week since she had done that, so she was quite certain she wouldn't be discovered this time. The last thing she wanted was another day in that dark room. She'd lose her mind if she spent enough time in there, she was sure of it.

After sneaking out the dining room window as she usually did, Sakura hugged the outer wall of the chateau, making sure to stay in the darkest shadows so she couldn't be discovered. Perhaps it was a good thing she wasn't a ninja – none of the palace guards could sense her by chakra.

The shinobi were making their usual rounds, back and forth around the mansion perimeter. Sakura would have to time her sprinting run just right or they'd see her from their peripheral vision. When she found an opening, she jumped forward, only to be pulled back by something. Whirling around quickly, she froze when she saw Sasori. He put his index finger to her lips, in case she should speak and draw the guard's attention their way.

Sakura remained absolutely silent and followed him, relishing the fact that he was leading her by hand, and not by the wrist, as he used to. Walking around the edge of the manor, they exited into the gardens. There weren't any guards there, but it definitely wasn't safe. "The Kazekage comes here all the time," Sakura whispered. "I don't think-"

"Trust me."

Curiosity was eating away at her, but Sakura obeyed without question. Of course she trusted him. He was the only one she _could_ trust. Keeping to the shadows, they left the border of the mansion and stayed within the trees, gradually making their way to the back of the gardens. Honestly, it was amazing that these plants managed to **survive** in such awful climate conditions.

Finally at the back, they made their way through the trees and exiting the garden that way. It was practically a back road for leaving the chateau, without the 'road' part. All that was in front of them was sand with the mountain borders of Suna in the distance. "Now what?" Sakura asked.

"Now we leave."

Her heart leapt. "I thought we weren't leaving for another year."

"Change in plan," he said, redirection his attention to her. "Are you ready?"

Sakura smiled at him, holding his hand in both of hers. "Absolutely."

Sasori froze; he turned his head slightly to the left, as if listening. With amazing speed, he put his hand over Sakura's mouth and backed both of them back into the trees, concealing them. Both remained absolutely silent, but Sakura's heart began to speed up. She wondered what exactly was out there.

"How convenient," an unmistakable voice said. It came from the right, but Sakura knew immediately who it was. Sasori could tell by the obvious chakra signature.

Slowly, with his amber gaze staying on the Kazekage now in front of him, Sasori stood up, in front of Sakura. His blank expression was there once again, blocking away his thoughts and emotions. After all, the hardest enemy to defeat is the one you can't read.

"I was going to blame some random ninja or even villager, but I like this better," the Kazekage continued. Silvery specks of what appeared to be dust to Sakura began to swarm slowly, almost invisibly around him. "Princess of Suna, killed by the village prodigy. The Kazekage had no choice but to avenge his _beloved daughter's_ death. I really must thank you, prodigy. You're making my job so much easier."

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat. Her own father had been planning to kill her. Perhaps that was why Sasori had decided to leave Suna early. She couldn't process another thought because of a sudden pain in her stomach. It felt hot and searing, the worst possible feeling she could ever imagine.

Sakura gasped in agony, her eyes widening as she slowly managed to look down. Those silvery fragments, the ones she had failed to recognize – it had been the Kazekage's _Satetsu_, Iron Sand. Without even realizing it, some of the particles had combined to form a sharp shard-like weapon.

It was as if everything had slowed down. Time had suddenly just dropped its speed by several notches. Sasori slowly turned his head, staring at her with the first expression of shock she had ever seen on him.

Her eyes drifted down again. Her pale green shirt was now a horrible shade of red. A puddle began to form underneath her. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Nothing _could_ come out. She lifted her hand barely, only a few centimeters was all she could muster, and stared at the sticky red blood on her palm.

Then, her strength left her. She felt her knees give way, unable to hold her up any longer. Sasori quickly caught her – he still appeared somewhat frozen, unable to even think properly to know what to do.

From nowhere, a stream of poison needles came and landed at the Kazekage's feet, forcing him to rapidly leap out of the way. He landed a few meters away from Sasori and Sakura, looking frantically to find the source of the attack. Apparently he had missed Sasori's fast fingers – Hiruko was certainly easy to control, even in the worst of situations.

Sakura coughed. More blood splattered on the ground and on Sasori. A small trail of it made it's way from the corner of her mouth down her chin. "Ch… ch…" She struggled to speak.

"Chiyo?" Sasori asked. "You want me to find Chiyo?"

She smiled. It was ridiculous. What on the face of the Earth could she possibly find amusing at this moment? "Cher…ish," Sakura said softly, the smile still on her face. "Don't… forget…"

"Stop it." She had resigned herself to die. That wasn't going to happen.

"Please?" Sakura asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The pain wasn't enough to cloud her mind. It may be able to stop her body and blur her vision, but not her mind. "Sa…sori…"

"Don't." Sakura was being dramatic, he had decided. Or perhaps Sasori was in denial.

"I wanted… I wanted us to… be together." She winced again. Her vision was getting worse. The world around her was darkening. But she had to see. She had to tell him. It was imperative that she told him. "I wanted… you, and I…"

It wasn't that she couldn't find the words. Sakura couldn't find the strength to say them. Her voice was broken, her remaining seconds slipping away. "Don't forget…"

Her eyes closed. She didn't say anything else. Her heart slowed to a stop. Her life ended.

Sasori laid her down on the sand and stood up. He turned his head slightly, looking at the Kazekage. The Iron Sand whirled around him, ready to strike at any given time. But this time, he was ready. He wasn't going to drop his guard again.

The Kazekage was going to die.


End file.
